Winning Hat-Trick for Banana Queen

Promising mare Banana Queen (4m So You Think x Tropicana Lady, by Fastnet Rock) made it three wins on the trot when scoring a powerful victory at Randwick on Saturday with Black Type goals on the horizon this year.

Trained by Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou, Banana Queen has always shown potential, but has been in hot form since resuming from a spell to win at Newcastle last month and then scored again at Warwick Farm before jumping to Saturday class for a Benchmark 78 event over 1600m.

She relished the step up in trip to skip away and win by nearly two lengths for Brenton Avdulla and has now won four of nine starts earning over $160,000 in prizemoney.

“We haven’t looked beyond today for her, but we always believed she was a filly that would measure up to Black Type,” said Sterling Alexiou.

“It’s been a matter of letting her mature and getting there in her own time. We’ll have a good look tomorrow and map out a plan for her.”

A homebred for Arcella Thoroughbreds, Banana Queen is a three-quarter sister to Group III placed Vanuatu and is the sixth winner from six foals to race from unraced Fastnet Rock mare Tropicana Lady, a full sister to Group I winner Irish Lights, the dam of Group II winner Omei Sword and stakes-winner Lipizzaner.

Given her pedigree, Banana Queen will be a valuable broodmare going forward if she gains some Black Type along the way.