Schweida weighs up Tatt's Cup start with London Banker

By Glenn Davis

The results of a blood count will determine if trainer Kelly Schweida will give London Banker a chance at back-to-back wins in the Tattersall’s Cup at Eagle Farm on Saturday.

Schweida’s preference is to wait for the Listed Caloundra Cup over 2400 metres the following week but he holds fears about the weather for the Sunshine Coast meeting.

“I’d prefer to wait for the Caloundra Cup but he doesn’t like the wet if it happens to rain next week,” Schweida said.

“I’m not overly keen on running this week so I ordered a blood count to be done and I’ll get the results on Thursday night.

“The horse if fine and looks well so hopefully the blood result will give us an idea how he’s done since the Ipswich Cup last week.”

Schweida is hopeful London Banker is finding form at the right time and is unconcerned about a seven-day turnaround if he starts the gelding in the 2400 metre Tatt’s Cup.

He failed in three stakes races earlier in the carnival.

They were the Listed Tails Stakes and Group 3 Chairman’s Handicap at Doomben and Group 3 Premier’s Cup at Eagle Farm before a much improved third to the Annabel Neasham-trained Regal Lion in the Ipswich Cup.

The rising eight-year-old came off a ninth in the Group 2 Q22 at Eagle Farm last year to easily win last year’s Tattersall’s Cup.

Schweida believes a week’s turnaround poses no threat if he runs in the Tatt’s Cup as the seven-year-old has handled backing-up in the past.

London Banker ticked the back-up box two years ago when he won at Eagle Farm and Doomben during a streak of four straight wins in restricted grade.

He also backed up finishing fourth in the Shoot Out at Doomben in December following a seventh in the Listed Bernborough Handicap seven days earlier.

“He won last year’s Tatt’s Cup then backed up and failed in the Caloundra Cup but the track was a Heavy 10 last year," Schweida said.

“I thought his Ipswich Cup run was very good and if he backs up it won’t be a problem.

“We tried blinkers on him at Ipswich and he went through the line well.

“Larry Cassidy was thinking about taking off a bit earlier at Ipswich and he thought he should have finished a lot closer had he done so.

“The winner ended up getting the run Larry was waiting for.”

Formerly trained in New Zealand, London Banker is raced by Ron and Judy Wanless, who enjoyed great success with Queensland Derby winner Amalfi and Lights Of Heaven.

He was originally purchased for $100,000 by Kiwi trainer Roger James at the 2017 New Zealand Bloodstock Premier Yearling sales and has now won 10 of his 38 starts with prize money of more than $538,000.

James won four races with London Banker before he joined Schweida’s stable.

London Banker is a son of noted staying sire Tavistock and is a half-brother to El Segundo who won four Group 1s including the Cox Plate in 2007.