Gerald Ryan knew Banana Queen had the pedigree and performance to be a star beyond the racetrack, and the mare has a $1 million price tag to back his judgment now after the Inglis Chairman’s Sale last week.
The So You Think five-year-old mare, which is already a group 3 winner from the Tibbie Plate, will race in the Hilldene Farm silks for the first time in the Dark Jewel Classic at Scone on Saturday as new connections look towards adding a group 1 win to her resume.
Banana Queen will don new silks in the Dark Jewel Stakes after her $1 million sale.Credit: Getty
“She had a great [pedigree] page, and it wasn’t a surprise she brought that price at the Chairman’s sale, but she is going to race on and I think she is capable of winning at a higher level,” Ryan said.
“If you look at the family, a horse called Just Steel is there, which ran second in the Arkansas Derby and ran in the Kentucky Derby. There are stakes performers from Japan and Hong Kong, so she has international appeal.
“It doesn’t change for her at the stable. We are still looking at the same races because she is good enough to run in group 1 races.
“She has been good on the track already, but being a So You Think, she is just getting better. They have told me she is not rushing off to stud, and she’s going to keep racing.”
Banana Queen will use Scone as a springboard to Brisbane, where races like the Dane Ripper Stakes and the group 1 Tatts Tiara are obvious targets.
After her Tibbie Plate win in the spring, Banana Queen ran a gutsy third in the Golden Pendant behind group 1 winners Espiona and Atishu, which are two of the best mares in the country.
She returned with a fifth in the Hawkesbury Crown, where she was back in the ruck before finding the line strongly late, and history show she builds into a preparation.
“She drops five kilograms from that because this is a handicap, not set weights and penalties, and she is always a mare that improves into a preparation,” Ryan said. “The worry was, she had to go to the Inglis sale yards after that run, but she handled it well.
Banana Queen is knocked down to Hilldene Farm for $1 million at the Inglis Chairman’s Sale.
“It was a little freshen-up for her, but when they are there they are in and out of the box all the time walking [for prospective buyers], so it keeps them fit.
“She had raced on the Saturday and then had five days at Inglis, but she copped that terrific. Her work on Wednesday morning was as good as you would want to see, so she is ready to go.”
Banana Queen is a $6 chance behind Hawkesbury Crown placegetter Shadows Of Love at $3.60 and group 1 winner Ruthless Dame at $5 for the Dark Jewel. She should take advantage of gate six and be ridden on speed.
“She should be a little closer from the draw, and I think 1400m is her best trip,” Ryan said. “She is going to Brisbane and I think this could be her best preparation.
“She is improving all the time.”
Ryan and training partner Sterling Alexiou are taking a strong team to Scone on Saturday, including Ballroom Bella in the Denise’s Joy Stakes coming off placings in the Fireball and the Sapphire Stakes this campaign.
“She is going really and we have freshened her up and had barrier trial to have her ready to fly at the 1100m,” Ryan said. “These races at Scone are always hard to win because everyone focuses on them, but even with 61kg she will run a good race.”
Steely is still working his way towards his preferred trip in the Luskin Star Stakes, while Ryan was delighted to see Smashing Eagle, which came from last to run third at Hawkesbury last start, come up with barrier five in the benchmark 78 to close the two-day carnival.
“Hopefully from that draw he will be able to settle a little closer and not leave himself so much to do,” Ryan said. “He is going as well as anything in the stable, and I think this might be the right race for him.
“If he goes well, there could be a race for in Queensland during the carnival.”
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