Sisterson has a plan for Bandua in BC Turf

ARCADIA, Calif. – In an ideal scenario, Bandua will stalk the pace for the first mile of Saturday’s Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf under jockey Tyler Gaffalione before moving closer to the front.

“He’ll have his head in front and be there or thereabouts and give us some excitement,” trainer Jack Sisterson said on Sunday.

Bandua followed that style to win his first stakes in the Grade 3 Arlington Handicap at 1 3/16 miles at Arlington Park on July 13. A month later, Bandua set the pace in the Arlington Million and was beaten 1 3/4 lengths by Bricks and Mortar, the expected favorite in the BC Turf at 1 1/2 miles.

Sisterson, who trains the 4-year-old Bandua for Calumet Farm, knows the BC Turf will be a stern test for Bandua, who has won 3 of 14 starts racing in Ireland and the United States.

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With the local stakes winner Acclimate expected to set the pace, Bandua is likely to be positioned as a stalker.

“We won’t be looking to duel with him,” Sisterson said. “We can sit behind. If he runs his race, he’ll be competitive.”

Bandua will also be a price. He was eighth, beaten two lengths, in the Grade 1 Shadwell Turf Mile at Keeneland on Oct. 5, closing from third to dispute the lead in the stretch before fading.

“It was a stepping-stone to know Bandua that much better,” Sisterson said. “We won’t run him at a mile anymore. We know him a little better coming out of that race.”

Gaffalione rode Bandua to a sixth-place finish in the Grade 1 Manhattan Stakes at Belmont Park in June. He takes the mount from Adam Beschizza, who injured his collarbone in a spill at Keeneland in early October.