Mare closing in on retirement despite win
ONCE a devastating sprinter at the peak of her powers, experienced Tolga trainer Roy Chillemi says Bank Teller is nearing the end of her racing career.
The grey mare had two wins on her resume coming into Saturday, both in convincing fashion on TAB days.
The four-year-old won well on debut in May, 2018, before picking up her second career victory by almost three lengths early that next year.
As the regular Cluden Park trainers premiership winner says, Bank Teller has been a consistent horse for the leading stable, but has not gone on to win as much as they would have hoped.
She dropped back to an easier grade on Saturday afternoon on her home track at a non-TAB day and did it well, taking out the Benchmark 60 Handicap (1000m) by a length and a half.
Bank Teller’s racing life is only 21 starts old, for three victories, and the veteran horseman does not think she will be in work for much longer.
“That is probably as good as she is. When she was young she met a couple at her own age and she beat them easy,” Chillemi recalled. “Now she is getting up against the older horses, it is getting tougher.
“She is not going to go on to great things. I think if we can win a couple more races with her, that would be good. She will have a spell, have another preparation and then that may be the end of her career.”
Quality Tablelands jockey
Wanderson D’Avila punched Bank Teller out in the final stages on Saturday, holding out Labrusco and Amuleto, who was shooting up the inside of Morrow Park.
The Chillemi stable also picked up two other second place finishes on Saturday on their home track.
Meanwhile, the Lisa Donovan-trained Buxton had his second southeast start at the Sunshine Coast on Friday, running three lengths behind the winner in the Benchmark 65 Handicap (1600m).