An impressive type, Banquo earned his place on the roster after several quality wins over sprint distances. He broke his maiden in his fourth start before backing up 12 days later to win the 2019 Listed Springtime Stakes at Flemington over 1400m on the final day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival.<\/p>\n
Banquo was beaten by only 0.2 lengths in the superb sprint, the G2 Autumn Stakes, a race won by Group 1 winner Microphone, and previously by speed sires Centaine, Canny Lad and Dash for Cash. He then proved he could foot it with the fastest, beating home elite sprinters Exceedance, Tofane and Libertini when finishing close up in an illustrious running of the G1 Newmarket Hcp, where the field had collectively won 11 Group 1 races.<\/p>\n
\u201cBanquo is an incredibly good-looking horse and he was very talented,\u201d said trainer Danny O\u2019Brien. \u201cHe won a stakes race at his third run as a 3-year-old and raced very well for us the following spring, just beaten in a Group 2 race at Flemington as a 4-year-old. He\u2019s a genuine group-class sprinter that unfortunately we didn\u2019t get to see at his best.\u201d<\/p>\n
A $600,000 yearling purchase by top judge Bruce Perry, Banquo is by Written Tycoon, Australia\u2019s former Champion sire and brilliant sire of juveniles. Written Tycoon is developing a strong reputation as an emerging sire of sires, with his Golden Slipper-winning son Capitalist now established as one of most exciting young stallions in the Hunter Valley.<\/p>\n
Banquo is a brother to G1 Oakleigh Plate winner Booker. Dam Noondie was a winner over 1200m and is by Flying Spur, successful broodmare sire of Champion stallion Sebring and young Group 1-winning stallions Pierata and Preferment.<\/p>\n
\u201cBanquo made a statement as soon as he walked out as a yearling. He had presence and quality,\u201d recalled Bruce Perry. \u201cHe was a very athletic and good-moving yearling.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of the 10 new stallions to stand in New Zealand in the past two seasons, Banquo is one of only three colonial-bred options (with the exciting Noverre joining him as a barnmate this year). With I Am Invincible, So You Think, Snitzel and Nicconi rounding out the top four sires in Australia in 2022, and Savabeel and Tavistock securing the quinella in New Zealand, Australasian-bred sires are continually proving to be most reliable source of quality. In fact, a foreign-bred stallion has not won the major premiership in New Zealand since 2010 or in Australia since 2015.<\/p>\n
\u201cWaikato Stud has an incredible history of success and for Mark to take him on shows the belief he has in Banquo,\u201d said Perry. \u201cIt\u2019s pretty special for Banquo and his owners, as we know he will get every opportunity. Waikato Stud don\u2019t get it wrong very often with their stallion selections.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"