Search

show me:

Banana Queen looking for fruitful start

3 minute read

Lightly raced mare Banana Queen will be kept to shorter trips this spring.

BANANA QUEEN.
BANANA QUEEN. Picture: Martin King / Sportpix

The versatility of So You Think's stock can be a mini conundrum for trainers when trying to figure out their best distance. 

The remarkable stallion has produced a Sydney Cup winner in Knights Order, a middle-distance star in Think It Over and most recently a Group 1-winning sprinter in Think About It

It is no surprise Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou initially had his daughter, Banana Queen, pegged as a mile to middle-distance horse, only to reassess that assumption after her autumn campaign. 

While she has won over 1600m in benchmark grade, Alexiou doesn't believe it is her pet trip and he's keen to restrict her to shorter journeys this preparation, as they did with another of So You Think's progeny in Group performer Peltzer

"We've had a bit of luck with the So You Thinks over the last four or five years and the ones we've had a bit of joy with have been in that 1400, 1600 metre bracket, not horses that get over a trip," Alexiou said. 

"At the end of last preparation, she struggled a little bit in stakes company over the mile, so we'll probably look to keep her to 1400 metres this time in. 

"She's more a sharper 1300, 1400-metre style of So You Think, a bit like Peltzer." 

In that vein, Alexiou is expecting a competitive return from Banana Queen when she resumes over 1300m at Randwick on Saturday. 

A first-up winner over a similar trip last campaign, albeit in lesser grade, Alexiou says she is forward enough to give the race a shake. 

"We expect her to run really well. She has only had the one trial, but she's done plenty of work at home," he said. 

"She's not a mare that takes a stack of work, even though she is quite big, she's naturally athletic. 

"We'll try to get her rating up a bit and maybe look at something like a Golden Pendant." 

Stablemate Conscript will be out to bounce back in the Kanebridge Handicap (1100m) after over-racing when unplaced in the June Stakes

He will have to lump 61.5kg but if Nash Rawiller can find cover trailing the speed, Alexiou says the gelding is capable of replicating his win over the same course and distance two starts ago. 

"He's got to carry a bit of weight but he's a very tough, genuine horse and a few of these more lightly raced horses coming through, they're still to prove themselves in this grade," Alexiou said. 

Recent recruit Smashing Eagle rounds out the team in the Godolphin Lifetime Care Handicap (1100m) and will be ridden quietly to allow him to unleash his sharp finishing burst. 

"When you can leave him alone he's got a good turn of foot and he can reel off sizzling sectionals," Alexiou said. 

"They all need a little bit of luck but they're all horses going really well." 


Racing and Sports

Randwick

Saturday, 29th July 2023

10
16:50
(local)

GOW-GATES INSURANCE BROKERS HANDICAP

Age: 4yo and up WT: 52.0kg Type: BM78
AUD $150,000
1300m TURF GOOD
10
16:50
(local)
AUD $150,000
1300m GOOD

GOW-GATES INSURANCE BROKERS HANDICAP

Age: 4yo and up WT: 52.0kg Type: BM78


FP Silk Horse, Age & Sex
Sire & Dam
Jockey
Trainer
SP
WT
1st 14. ANAGAIN (AUS) 4yo M
HINCHINBROOK (AUS) - DOAGAIN (AUS)
JAY FORD
JOSEPH PRIDE
$12
52kg
G J Loiero, D H B Giesemann, W B Davison, D Ursino, Dr J R Whitfeld, Kitchwin Hills (Mgr: S K Brown), F A L Racing (Mgr: A Falcone) & Double R Thoroughbreds (Mgr: S J Rossow)

Sales Information

2nd 5. BELLA ROUGE (AUS) 4yo M
I AM INVINCIBLE (AUS) - CHOOSE (AUS)
JAMES MCDONALD
CHRIS WALLER
$21
58kg
N Greenhalgh, Mrs M Greenhalgh, Grand Parkview Stud (Mgr: Ms L Timms), R Smith, I Bruce, Raffles Thoroughbred Racing (Mgr: K Yap), B Corkhill, T Corkhill, J Simmons, Ms S Fitzgerald, P Crotty, S Haddad, P Barnett & S Tapsall

Sales Information

3rd 8. WINDSHADOW (AUS) 4yo G
REDOUTE'S CHOICE (AUS) - TRACEABILITY (AUS)
JASON COLLETT
CIARON MAHER & DAVID EUSTACE
$5.5
57.5kg
Mrs M F Anderson

Sales Information

4th 13. STROMBUS (NZ) 4yo G
TERRITORIES (IRE) - CONCH (AUS)
TYLER SCHILLER
JOHN O'SHEA
$26
56kg

Sales Information

5th 3. BANANA QUEEN (AUS) 4yo M
SO YOU THINK (NZ) - TROPICANA LADY (AUS)
NASH RAWILLER
G RYAN & S ALEXIOU
$2.7
59kg
6th 11. SUNBORN (AUS) 5yo M
CASINO PRINCE (AUS) - HONEYMOON CRUISE (AUS)
KERRIN MCEVOY
EDWARD CUMMINGS
$61
56kg

Sales Information

7th 9. TEN BELLS (AUS) 5yo M
NICCONI (AUS) - DECIBEEL (NZ)
NICK HEYWOOD
SCOTT COLLINGS
$26
57kg

Sales Information

8th 10. MIRRA VIEW (AUS) 4yo M
MORE THAN READY (USA) - MIRRASALO (AUS)
RYAN MALONEY
PETER & PAUL SNOWDEN
$7.5
56.5kg
9th 6. CRUEL SUMMER (AUS) 4yo G
CHOISIR (AUS) - SUMMER SONG (AUS)
KATHY O'HARA
PAUL PERRY
$41
58kg

Sales Information

10th 2. RIVERPLATE (NZ) 4yo G
FLYING ARTIE (AUS) - DYNASTIC LADY (AUS)
DANNY BEASLEY
TRENT BUSUTTIN & NATALIE YOUNG
$10
60kg

Sales Information

11th 1. EXCELLADUS (AUS) 4yo G
SO YOU THINK (NZ) - RUSSETING (AUS)
DYLAN GIBBONS
DAVID PFIEFFER
$21
61.5kg

Sales Information

12th 4. SUPER FRIENDSHIP (AUS) 5yo G
STARCRAFT (NZ) - AURISM (AUS)
JOSH PARR
J G SARGENT
$8
58.5kg

Sales Information

Think. Is this a bet you really want to place?

For free and confidential support call 1800 858 858 or visit www.gamblinghelponline.org.au