Banish and Sanglier resume with hopes high at Flemington
After making a bold graduation to Stakes class last spring, Banish begins a new journey in the G3 The Vanity at Flemington on Saturday, 17 February.
The daughter of Lonhro is joined on the Flemington card by her two-year-old stable companion Sanglier who resumes in the Listed Asian Executive Stakes with trainer James Cummings and the Godolphin team confident both can get their autumn campaigns off to a strong start.
Banish (Craig Williams) won four of her six starts in 2017, earning herself a spell by winning the G2 Fillies Classic at Moonee Valley.
Trainer James Cummings said the filly has had only a light preparation in the lead-up to Saturday’s race, but he’s confident that is all she needs at this stage.
“Her fresh record has been excellent in the past and after a solid trial at Rosehill she looks to have gone ahead and should be capable of running very well first-up,” Cummings said.
“Hopefully she rewards us for the break she had after winning her G2 race at Moonee Valley last start.”
The opposition to Banish is headed by last spring’s G1 Thousand Guineas winner Aloisia and an otherwise even field of fillies.
Cummings is relying on natural progression and experience of the Flemington straight track to provide the improvement necessary for Sanglier to put himself into the finish in the Asian Executive Stakes.
“He looks to have returned extremely well with a solid jump-out win up the straight at Flemington,” Cummings said.
“He’s had straight-track experience when he had no luck when unplaced in the Maribyrnong Trial last October and he’s got form around good horses like Long Leaf.
“His recent trial showed me he’d made significant improvement on his last preparation and this is an open race that will be a good test.”
With the top-level two-year-olds waiting for next week’s G1 Blue Diamond Stakes, Sanglier meets a field of maiden performers and first starters, prominent among them the Epaulette filly Khulaasa who finished a close second at Flemington at her only start.
