First Stakes Winner For Banquo

Waikato Stud stallion Banquo was a stakes winner on the track and now he has sired his first stakes winner as Kris Shalier’s Justin Case delivered a dominant performance to pull clear in the G3 Fairview Matamata Slipper (1200m) at Matamata on Saturday.

Sporting the famed Waikato Stud silks, the 2yo gelding broke his maiden last time out, and justified the opinion held by connections when jumping straight into black type racing.

With overnight rain seeing the field reduced to just four runners, Justin Case started the outside chance of the four juveniles.

Justin Case launched out of the gates under jockey Samantha Collett and made a beeline to the front from his outside barrier, taking up the lead.

Turning for home, it was clear that those behind him were going to struggle to make up the ground as Justin Case kicked again and quickly opened up on his rivals, going on to score by 5-3/4 lengths over Tivaci gelding Out Of The Blue, with a further long neck back to King Of The Air in third.

“He was very smart in what ended up a small field,” Collett said. “There was still a fair bit of quality there and he had to take that next step up from clearing maidens here.

“I am not convinced that the wet track is really ideal for him. He is still untapped and is an exciting horse. What impressed me the most is that he has come here on his home track and handled the occasion and put them away like he did.”

Shailer was rapt with the result, which extended his standout season to four wins from five starts.

“That’s awesome,” he said. “I am so stoked for the whole Waikato Stud team – Garry and Mark (Chittick) – and Jamie Beatson who owns half of him.

“This was the plan back in November, after he ran second at Counties we said we would put him away for a couple of weeks and give him a bit of a reset and target him for this race.

“I wasn’t too sure what he was going to be like on the really heavy ground. I really want to see him on top of the ground because I know he can run a bit of time, but that was dominant.

“He is a pretty laidback customer, he does everything on his own, he never works in company and has come to the races on his own, he is a cool horse.”

With the G1 Sistema Stakes (1200m) at Ellerslie a logical next step, connections will discuss the options before a final decision is made.

“It (Sistema Stakes) is on the mind,” he said. “We will see how he comes through this and then make a plan.”

The two-year-old gelding was being prepared for last year’s New Zealand Bloodstock Ready To Run Sale by Ohukia Lodge, but was withdrawn, with Waikato Stud and Ohukia Lodge principal and part-owner Jamie Beatson having now benefited from that decision.