Banju has surprised trainer Lyle Chandler once this campaign and he is hoping the gelding can do it again by equalling a modern-day weight-carrying record in the Scone Cup.
Chandler set his sights on his hometown feature after Banju’s fighting second to King Frankel in the Listed Parramatta Cup (1900m) in February, freshening him up before sending him to last month’s Tamworth Cup (1400m) as a stepping stone to Scone.
He expected Banju to find the 1400m short of his best distance but the horse proved too classy for his opposition, the victory qualifying him for the Big Dance in November while also attracting the attention of handicappers.
He will now carry 57.5kg in Friday’s showpiece with Speediness (2013) and Newton’s Rings (2008) the only horses in the past 17 years to have won with similar imposts.
“He was ready for the Tamworth Cup but he did surprise me because I thought at the 1400 he might be vulnerable,” Chandler said.
“Looking back at the history (of the Scone Cup) from the last seventeen or eighteen years, only two horses have carried 57-1/2 (kilos) to win and no-one has carried more than that, so obviously he’s got a fair bit of weight.
“But if any horse can carry weight, I think he can.”
Banju has been a lesson in patience and perseverance, taking seven starts to break his maiden at Quirindi then rising from Highway Handicap grade to become a consistent Saturday metropolitan and stakes-class performer.
Chandler puts that down to maturity and the addition of blinkers 18 months ago, the six-year-old now the winner of eight of his 25 starts and more than $577,000 in stakes.
Win, lose or draw at Scone, Banju will go for a well-earned spell off the back of an outstanding campaign, but Chandler has a couple of extra incentives to hope the horse can peak one more time.
“It would be pretty special. The ownership group are long-time friends of mine, I met their son over in the UK and he actually encouraged me to come over to Australia,” Chandler said.
“They’ve been running an agistment property where Banju was born and bred for nearly 20 years so it would mean a lot to them and it would mean a lot to me to provide that opportunity.
“My parents are in town as well. I haven’t seen them for seven years so it would be nice if they could share a big race success with us.”