GARY ANDERSON is motivated to win the £1million darts jackpot so he can buy enough food to feed Dusty’s bin.
Ando, 55, would become the oldest person to win the if he wins two more games at Ally Pally.
Gary Anderson has been rolling back the years at Alexandra PalaceCredit: Shutterstock Editorial
He would be older than legendary , who was 52 when he last ruled the world in January 2013, lifting his 16th and final title.
A 4-1 victory over last Tuesday evening moved him into the quarter-finals for the 10th time and he then defeated Justin Hood 5-2 for a place in the final four.
The Flying Scotsman has been sensible with his money down the years but he has two young children and one of them has a shire horse that needs looking after.
Anderson said: “My daughter has just had a horse for Christmas, so I’m going to have to keep going in darts.
“Horses don’t stop eating. They eat and eat and eat. The million might feed it for a couple of weeks.
“He’s called Dusty. He’s just shy of a horse. My daughter was there on Christmas Day in tears.
“It stays away from the house because our Great Dane’s about the same size as a horse. He’s about 97 kilos. And he likes people! He’s a big lad. He’s a big boy.
“Look, I’ve done my business, I’ve made my money. I’ve bought my things that I need to buy in life and that’s it.”
Anderson has always liked his exotic pets and in the past he has had rats, Burmese mountain dogs, bearded dragon lizards, a golden macaw parrot and a blue-tongued skink lizard.
He once joked he “prefers animals to people because they give me no grief”.
Should he become world champion once again on January 3 – for the first time in a decade – he might end up giving the PDC grief.
The big talking point now is whether he would commit to the Premier League, which is 17 weeks spread across eight countries between February 5 and May 28.
Anderson has routinely expressed his annoyance at the travel involved in darts and living out of a suitcase, saying he prefers to be at home and by his fishing lakes.
There is a real possibility he could lift the Sid Waddell Trophy and then turn down the chance to be involved in the invitational tournament.
Asked directly if he would play in the 2026 Prem, Anderson declined to answer the question, laughing: “It’s nice weather outside, isn’t it? It’s lovely.
“I thought it would be snow by now, but the sunshine was out today and it was great, yeah. Anyway, yeah…”
Anderson – who has banked £100,000 in prize money so far from this event – is simply loving the fact he is still going strong when there are 18-year-olds still involved in the draw.
He continued: “What others go on to do, well carry on, have a great one.
“They might need to win, I don’t. As long as I’m there kicking about and giving them a bit of fright, I’m over the moon with that.
“If I can match them and give them a bit of panic in the way we play, that’s good enough for me nowadays.
“This is the biggest tournament in the world. We spend all year trying to get here, all the boys are trying to get here.
“At the end of the day, I mean, look at it now. Look what darts has become. A million pound first prize.”
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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