Big Wigs’ connections hit the big time

By his own admission, Daniel Gangi’s passion for racing may have slightly waned in recent years as he strived to grow his electrical business but Big Wigs’ success has reignited the fire in the belly of the 50-year-old, who shed tears after the colt’s triumph in the TBV VOBIS Platinum Showdown (1200m).

The joyous scenes in the Caulfield mounting yard were replicated across the Tasman Sea on New Zealand’s North Island, where Gangi watched the $1 million feature race of the 12th annual Victorian Owners and Breeders Raceday last month. 

Gangi was at Waikato Stud to cast his eye over two of his broodmares and, despite the stunning scenery on offer at Mark Chittick’s famed farm, he could be forgiven for wishing he was several thousand kilometres away. 

However, any lingering twinge of regret he might have experienced was swiftly replaced by feelings of immense joy, not just personally but also for his father Neil and brothers Robert and Adam, who also form part of Big Wigs’ ownership group.

“I’d booked the trip to New Zealand before we knew Big Wigs was running in The Showdown, so I watched the race over there with a friend and I must admit I started crying when he won,” said Gangi. 

“It was an unbelievable feeling and even though I would’ve loved to have been there, I was so happy for my family all the other owners. Josh Rodder from the MRC managed to get 24 friends and family members in the Committee Room, so they all had a great time. 

“It was an unbelievable day, there was a lot of screaming on FaceTime and I think I was up until 1.30am replying to all the messages and calls I got. I rang Lachie [Neindorf] about 9pm that night to thank him for the ride, I probably wasn’t making too much sense at that point but he was as happy as the rest of us.”

Just over two years before that Showdown triumph, the Gangi family and other members of the ‘Big Wigs’ syndicate struck a deal for the homebred colt, who was sired by Widden Stud Victoria’s resident stallion Gold Standard. 

The agreement was signed, sealed and delivered over the course of a boozy barbecue held at Tony Santic’s Makybe farm near Geelong. For Daniel Gangi, it was a classic case of love at first sight when he clapped eyes on the striking black colt, who was less than six months old at the time. 

“We had a long lunch at Tony’s farm in February 2024, and we had a walk through the paddocks about 6pm that evening,” said Gangi. 

“There were loads of foals on the farm but only one of them really stood out for me, this beautiful black colt. He wasn’t overly big, but I just loved the look of him. 

“I didn’t know anything about his pedigree, but we did a deal that night to pay $35,000 for a 50 per cent share, and the rest is history. We’d had a few drinks so when I woke up the next morning I was worried we might’ve overpaid, but it looks a pretty good deal now.”     

Indeed it does, as connections pocketed the best part of $600,000 (including VOBIS bonuses) after his valiant victory in The Showdown. But for Gangi, who runs the successful Gangi Electrics firm, the thrill of winning big races far outweighs any monetary returns – and to share that thrill with his family and friends is priceless.

The best horse the Gangis have part-owned to date was undoubtedly Steel Prince, who won two Stakes races and ran in the 2020 Melbourne Cup (3200m) for Team Freedman.

His untimely demise in May 2022 left a void for Gangi which he has struggled to fill – until Big Wigs burst onto the scene.   

“I used to go to the races a lot with Dad but then the business took over a little bit, and I stopped going to the races for a while,” said Gangi, who has reinvested some of his Big Wigs winnings into purchasing the colt’s younger half-sister by Godolphin’s shuttler Pinatubo. 

“We part-owned Steel Prince, he was obviously a superstar and his win in the Andrew Ramsden to qualify for the Melbourne Cup was probably the highlight of my time as a racehorse owner. But after he died, I probably didn’t go back to the races again for a few years. 

“But when I went over to New Zealand and spent a bit of time on the stud farms, it renewed my passion a bit and then watching Big Wigs’ win was just amazing. I’ve probably found my love for the sport again through him and I don’t want to miss seeing him race again, so I’ll be back at the track from now on.”