Banju, the “Bush Battler,” won’t be the headline act when he makes his stakes debut in the $160,000 Parramatta Cup (1900m) at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday.
This is understandable as he has to share the stage with some of the biggest names in racing including Godolphin’s three-year-old Boom colt Aft Cabin, one of the most exciting horses in training and a hot favorite for the Hobartville Stakes.
The Golden Boot picture becomes a little clearer after a small but select field of fast two-year-olds go head-to-head in the Silver Boot.
Then the mares strut in the Millie Fox Stakes with Mariamia set to continue her summer form boost.
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Sydney’s Autumn Carnival is just weeks away and Saturday’s race meeting will have implications for some big race futures markets, making the Rosehill meeting even more compelling – but try to tell Banju’s trainer Lyle Chandler his horse isn’t the star .
Banju has a “picket fence” – racing slang for three consecutive wins – next to its name and fits a specific personal theme of the coach.
“He was first to everything with me,” Chandler said.
Banju was the first horse Chandler got to train when he opened his Scone stable three years ago.
The gelding presented the trainer with his first winner in a humble Quirindi-Jungfrau two years ago.
Then Banju provided Chandler with his first highway winner at the Kensington course at Randwick, followed by his first open class winner at Randwick and his first winner at Rosehill.
On Saturday at Rosehill, Banju will be the coach’s first-ever runner in a stakes race.
This is a significant moment for Chandler and fittingly he comes on the horse that launched his training career.
Banju won for the third consecutive time at Randwick earlier this month. Image: Jeremy Ng – Getty Images
In the coach’s own words, it was “quite a journey” to get to the Parramatta Cup.
The story begins in South Africa, where Chandler grew up but his only experience with horses was when he was rounding up cattle on his grandfather’s farm.
Chandler continued his tertiary education in England, where he was offered a part-time job preparing yearlings for auction.
“So I worked at George Michael’s father’s stud farm,” he said.
This author paused before asking, “Do you mean the singer George Michael?”
“Yes,” Chandler replied.
“I never met George Michael but obviously I met his father and his office had all these gold and platinum plates framed on the walls.”
Chandler saw a career opportunity in thoroughbred racing and gained more experience working for some leading trainers in England and back in South Africa learning as much as he could about the racehorse.
“I tried to get a job in the racing industry in England where a lot of their stable staff also ride horses but I’m 1m80 and 100kg so I would never get a job there,” he said.
“I was just getting by in England and was looking for an opportunity when a friend encouraged me to go to Australia.”
Chandler had just $300 in his bank account when he arrived a little over a decade ago, but stayed afloat when he found work at various racing teams in Melbourne and Sydney, working with leading coaches including David Hayes and Gai Waterhouse from the Hall of Fame.
Then, in 2020, Chandler decided to take the plunge and earned a coaching license to establish his stable base in Scone.
“I didn’t think I had the finances or the backing to settle down in the city,” he admitted.
“But I’ve always thought horses belong in the countryside and the facilities in Scone are very good.”
Banju launched Lyle Chandler’s training career and gave him his first winner. Image: Jeremy Ng – Getty Images
Banju was the first horse to come into the Chandler stable. The gelding was only broken in at the age of three and was a bit bumpy at work.
Chandler admitted that his very first morning at Scone Trackwork didn’t exactly get his training career off to a promising start.
“I was just reminiscing with my partner Emelie (Larrson), when we started training we didn’t have any equipment and we bought five cheap halters,” he said.
“On our first morning at Scone Trackwork we took our two horses to the track and Banju broke three halters in a row leaving us without spares. I thought this is a great introduction.”
But Chandler persevered and Banju slowly began to respond to his training methods and began his racing career with six minor finishes before the first career win for horse and trainer at Quirindi.
Normally calm, professional and reliable these days, Banju improved his race record from 23 starts to seven wins and 10 minor finishes, earning more than $430,000 in prize money.
Occasionally, however, Banju still has a mind of his own, as revealed by Chandler.
“You can drop the horse off for riding lessons at Centennial Park most days,” Chandler said.
“But there was one day last November as we were preparing to load him onto the float to travel to Sydney for a race at Rosehill when he suddenly threw himself about.
“Emelie, who rides banju in most of his stretches, walked behind him and got kicked in the face.
“She broke her cheekbone, eye socket and nose and needed stitches.
“So, we were a bit unlucky, but now it’s a beautiful story.”
Soon after the track incident, Banju started winning…and winning…and winning.
Banju claimed back-to-back wins in Benchmark 78 races at Randwick and Rosehill, then went into open company to defeat Group 1 winner No Compromise and Stakes winner Love Tap in the final start at the Randwick mile .
With three consecutive Saturday wins in Sydney in the summer, Banju has joined a select club this season.
Lyle Chandler used to work at George Michael’s father’s stud farm. Image: Getty Images
The only other horses to have won at least three straight races at the Sydney Saturday meetings are Zougotcha and I Am Me.
Zougotcha had three straight wins in the Silver Shadow Stakes, Tea Rose Stakes and Group 1 Flight Stakes during the Spring Carnival.
I Am Me has stringed four wins in a row over the summer, culminating in last month’s Listed Canterbury Sprint.
Chandler hopes this bodes well for Banju as the gelding makes his racing debut and goes beyond 1600m for the first time.
“Banju has been consistent throughout his career, he’s learning his craft now and taking it a little bit better,” said Chandler.
“Of course I think the distances are also suitable for him, so it’s a combination of everything.
“But I think Banju is ready for the 1900m now, he’s a bit grumpy after six runs in this prep.
“He’s done well since his last run, he’s as fit as he will be and I’m confident he’ll go the distance.”
The fixed-odds TAB price evaluators priced Banju at $4.80 on the second betting line behind Boom Stayer King Frankel at $3.90.
Banju is Chandler’s flagship horse and helps raise the scone trainer’s profile.
In three years he has steadily expanded his stable and now has 20 horses in the works.
“The highs in this game are beautiful, the lows are character-building,” Chandler said.
“I’ll be 40 this year, training ages you fast but as much as we enjoy what Banju has been able to do for us, let’s hope some others will come through to support him.”
The story behind Banju and Chandler is a timely reminder that in racing, everyone has a chance.
Chandler revealed his ambition to field Banju for his hometown Scone Cup in May, with the gelding likely to take a well-deserved rest after the Parramatta Cup.
So, can the “Bush Battler” who was Chandler’s “first for everything” also provide the coach with his game-changing stakes winner?
“Gosh, I hope so,” he said.
“If Banju can step out in front or sit down, as long as he gets into his rhythm and can run those even sections, it’s going to be pretty hard to take him down.”
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