Hit-and-run mission for Stanley

It’s been a few years since Michael Stanley campaigned in Queensland, but the Burrumbeet trainer-driver is planning to take a team of three up north to chase riches in the Sunshine State.

Stanley is plotting a hit-and-run mission with top mare Iolanta, Group 1-winning three-year-old Bar Room Banta and classy filly Soho Broadway, who are set to tackle key feature races in the coming weeks.

All three will race on Saturday, July 17 at Albion Park, with Iolanta pinned for the Group 1 The Golden Girl and Bar Room Banta and Soho Broadway the South East Derby and Oaks respectively. The latter two are then hoped to back-up into the Queensland Derby and Queensland Oaks – both at the elite level – a week later.

“Anytime you can get out of a Ballarat winter, you jump in the car and away you go,” Stanley said.

“Bar Room Banta had the three weeks between the first and second (run), so he can skip this week and have a lead-up into the Derby. And Soho Broadway will also get that extra lead-up seeing she has missed a couple of weeks racing as well after a short let-up.

“They’ll all race Saturday week, and then all going well we’ll have Bar Room Banta and Soho Broadway back-up into the main races the week after.”

Iolanta hit the line hard for third in the Simonds Homes Bendigo Pace behind Western Sonador at Lord’s Raceway on Saturday night, shortly after Bar Room Banta led the Great Ocean Road Real Estate Pace until the shadows of the post only to be run down by Jimmy The Irishman. It was a big effort from the runner-up, who ran the field along in a slick 1:54.0 mile rate.

Soho Broadway won at Tabcorp Park Melton on June 12, but hasn’t been seen at the races since a disappointing ninth placing at the same track two weeks later.

Stanley said the filly had shown signs of illness following that defeat, as had Bar Room Banta after his sixth placing as favourite first-up from a spell at Melton in mid-June.

WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW, WHICH BEGINS WITH A FOCUS ON IOLANTA:

By Tim O’Connor for HRV