Moonee Valley’s Cox Plate support card is brimming with quality and the $250,000 Inglis Banner (1000m) has attracted a strong field of two year-olds.

The race has been renamed this year in honour of inaugural winner Starspangledbanner who was a subsequent G1 winner at Caulfield, Flemington, Royal Ascot and Newmarket.  The Choisir colt was bred by Tony Santic and raised at his Makybe breeding operation in Gnarwarre in Victoria.

To mark the occasion, Tony and Deslee Santic will join Inglis Managing Director Mark Webster to present the winning connections of The Banner but may well find themselves as the recipients as they will have Chi Chi in the race.

The Redoutes Choice filly is also a Makybe graduate and is now in the care of Team Hawkes.

Breeders and owners will be following the result with much interest with the progeny of three first season sires contesting the event.  Masthead (Written Tycoon), By The Hour (Strada) and Mirror Man (Man of Illusion) are all out to be the first winner for their sires.

Sunday will cap off a big month for the Inglis Race Series with the running of the $100,000 Inglis Trophy at Sale.  Last year’s Inglis 3YO Trophy was won by Lonhro colt Dissolved who went on to win the Listed VRC Moomba Plate at Flemington in March.

One of the favourites this year will be the Mick Price trained debutant Donovans.  He is a Testa Rossa half brother to Caulfield stakes winner Stokehouse (Anabaa).  Both horses are named after popular St Kilda restaurants.