Banker’s Choice, now in the care of the Hayes team at Lindsay Park, is being set on a Queensland campaign with a long-range goal of contesting the Caulfield Cup in the spring. Despite holding a nomination for Saturday’s Doomben Cup (2000m), the Group 1 event is unlikely to be his next target.

The Mornington Cup winner, who has already secured a ballot exemption into the Caulfield Cup, was briefly considered for the Andrew Ramsden Stakes, but connections opted to travel north to Queensland where suitable races await.

“We were going to run in the Andrew Ramsden, but then we had a discussion with the whole team,” Ben Hayes said.

“He’s qualified for the Caulfield Cup, so we thought we’d go up to Queensland instead.

“There are some nice options up there for him. There’s the Q22, there are some good set-weights and penalties races.”

Hayes explained that while they’ll assess the Doomben Cup field, the Group 3 Lord Mayor’s Cup (1800m) at Eagle Farm next weekend followed by the Group 2 Q22 (2200m) two weeks later is the most likely route.

“He’s nominated in the Doomben Cup. We’ll have a look at the race and weigh everything up, but he’ll potentially run a week later,” Hayes said.

“There’s an 1800-metre race, and then we can go into the Q22 and then we’ll aim him at the Caulfield Cup, just like they did with Without A Fight.”

Hayes also noted that Banker’s Choice, previously trained by Mike Moroney and Glen Thompson, has transitioned well into their care since the Mornington Cup victory.

“He’s already in the Caulfield Cup and everything will be planned towards heading to that race,” Hayes said.

“We’ll look at giving him a bit of a freshen up there, if it ever stops raining, and then he’d probably do the weight-for-age path into the Caulfield Cup.

“He’s a very straight-forward horse and he arrived to us in great order.

“Fingers crossed. It’s a great opportunity.”

Punters can follow Banker’s Choice’s progress and access Caulfield Cup futures markets at leading Australian betting sites.