Hayes Banking on Mornington Cup winner

Bankers Choice (NZ) (Mongolian Khan) is hoping to become just the second horse in history to win multiple Mornington Cups when he seeks to defend his title on Saturday.

Having won the 2400m Listed feature by the barest of margins last year, the eight-year-old gelding was officially trained by Glen Thompson at the time following the passing of Mike Moroney.

Now under the care of Ben, Will & JD Hayes at Lindsay Park, Bankers Choice has been close up in two runs back from a spell, placing in the Group 2 Peter Young Stakes (1800m) first up before a narrow eighth in the Group 3 Easter Cup (2000m).

Bankers Choice is likely to face a host of rivals from the Easter Cup but Will Hayes believes the son of Mongolian Khan can turn the tables on the likes of Ambassadorial with added fitness and out to 2400m.

"Bankers Choice is the one that will head to the Mornington Cup," Hayes said.

"He's going to go for a course proper gallop on Monday to have a look around and hopefully defend his title.

"He ran terrifically in the Peter Young first up, he was only three lengths off them in the Easter Cup and he looks really good."

Having carried top weight of 60 kilograms in the Easter Cup, Bankers Choice will be up near the top of the weights again at Mornington but Hayes believes that is less relevant than the rise in trip.

"Hopefully someone can throw an out of form import with a high rating into the noms that can get us down," Hayes said.

"But he deserves the rating that he has, he does carry weight well."

"He'll eat up 2400 metres. He's as a fit as a mallee bull, and a seasoned old gelding like him, it's right up his alley."