Winning for the first time since breaking her maiden on a heavy track at Kembla Grange twelve months ago, the heavily backed Good Banter needed all of her 8kg pull in the weights over the brave Autumn Angel in Saturday’s Group III TAB Adrian Knox Stakes (2000m) at Randwick.
Ridden by Jamie Kah for John O’Shea, Good Banter and Autumn Angel races alongside of each other midfield and made their runs together down the centre of the track.
With her huge weight advantage, the daughter of Tavistock defeated The Autumn Sun filly by a half length with a lengthand a quarter back to the Trapeze Artist filly Concello who was doing her best work late.
Many of these fillies were backing up from the Group III Kembla Grange Classic, including Good Banter, who clocked in two and a half lengths sixth behind the Pierro filly Queen Of Dragons.
A $280,000 purchase for Astute Bloodstock (FBAA) from the Blue Gum Farm draft at the 2022 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale, Good Banter advances her record to two wins from seven starts with earnings of $173,900.
John O’Shea revealed he would not like to back up the daughter of Tavistock in next week’s ATC Australian Oaks.
“We were hoping to get a bit of juice in the ground and she got that today,” O’Shea said.
“I just thought the pull in the weights might have been enough to get her home. Peter’s filly (Autumn Angel) was valiant - it was an amazing performance really considering the weight (61kg) - but when we were saddling up and Jamie’s riding 53 with a big saddle I thought that was a good sign.”
“My preference wouldn’t be to (back up in the Oaks), I think she’s got a lot to offer going down the road.
“I think those other two good fillies (Orchestral and Zardozi) are just a bit too more seasoned than her at the moment, but it’s an option we’ll discuss with the owners.
“An option to run in a Group 1 over a mile-and-a-half with a filly that’s had a good win shouldn’t be neglected, but we’ll just see how she pulls up and see what the owners want to do.”
“If we just take out time we might end up in Queensland at a lesser, albeit it a Group 1, up there and I think the key for her was getting her toe in the ground today.
“We might even come back and run in a Frank Packer. But we’ll discuss that with the owners and if they said they wanted to run, she’s a filly in good form and we’d give her an opportunity.”
Good Banter is part-owned by Richmond Football Club president John O’Rourke. “I’m all of a sudden becoming very fond of Richmond,” O’Shea quipped.
“He’s a great man, I really enjoy his company and training a winner for him is extra special.”
Jamie Kah was impressed with how Good Banter knuckled down to her task.
“She was super, she really surprised me actually,” Kah said.
“We had a nice enough run, then when Autumn Angel kicked I thought, ‘we’re going to run a nice second here’.
“Obviously the weight swing helped, but she was super and she was going away late as well.”
Bred by Graham and Helen-Gaye Bax of Blandford Stud, Good Banter is a three-quarter sister to Listed Glasshouse Hcp winner Le Gai Soleil and is the first winner from two to race for the winning Savabeel mare Danza Kuduro.
A three-quarter sister to Group II-placed Grand Soleil and a half-sister to Group 1 Captain Cook Stakes and Group 1 Zabeel Classic winner Danzdanzdance, Danza Kuduro was a $70,000 purchase at the 2013 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale.
Dalziel Bloodstock / Moody Racing purchased an Ocen Park half-sister to Good Banter for $70,000 at the 2023 NZB Karaka Book 1.
Danza Kuduro was covered by State Of Rest (IRE) last spring.
Good Banter comes from the final crop of Tavistock and is the 50th stakes-winner for the sadly missed son of Montjeu.
