This Saturday in Sydney James & Bart Cummings will bring back promising colt Hallowed Crown who is out to stake 2014 Golden Rose claims in The Run To The Rose at Rosehill Gardens.
Kindergarten Stakes winner Hallowed Crown resumes in Saturday's 2014 Run To The Rose. Photo: Steve Hart.
One of 12 three-year-olds accepted for this year’s $125,000 Group 3 MTA NSW Run To The Rose (1200m), undefeated Street Sense colt Hallowed Crown is out to retain his flawless record more maestro trainer Bart and his grandson.
“This horse is a Group winner already, and we’ll be hoping he can go on with it,” James told The Daily Telegraph this week.
“We just want to keep producing Group horses, that’s the name of the game, we’ve got some good supporters and good stock.”
He was last seen beating home Washington Heights by one and a quarter lengths in the Group 3 Kindergarten Stakes (1100m) on April 12, the sprint showdown run on a Heavy (9) at Randwick.
While Hallowed Crown went to the paddock after that and hasn’t raced again, the Gerald Ryan-trained Washington Heights returned and franked the Kindergarten form with another nice second this time behind Nostradamus in the Group 3 San Domencio Stakes (1100m) on August 16.
Two trials this month have bought Hallowed Crown on fitness wise before his return ahead of an ambitious Sydney Spring Racing Carnival.
“He’s come back where he left off, and we’re hoping he can run out a strong seven (furlongs, 1400m),” Cummings said.
Relishing the mud in the Kindergarten Stakes he is likely to get another bottomless track on Saturday with Rosehill currently rated a Heavy (10).
With conditions working in his favour Hallowed Crown jumps from barrier seven, connections yet to confirm a rider.
James McDonald rode the horse for both his Sydney trials leading up to Saturday most recently producing a second over 795m on August 15.
McDonald however is engaged to partner Sarajevo from the outside barrier (12) on Saturday, the Lonhro colt one of two in the race for John O’Shea along with Group 2 winner Ghibellines in gate eight with Kerrin McEvoy to ride.
Hallowed Crown had a final piece of serious work on the course proper at Randwick on Monday and ran well beside stablemate Maximilian, finishing off over the final 200m in 12.5 seconds.
The Run to The Rose is the traditional lead-up race for the $1 million Group 1 Golden Rose Stakes (1400m) that runs at the same track on September 13.
Futures Golden Rose odds at [ladborkes] are led by Gai Waterhouse’s Group 1 JJ Atkins winner Almalad ($6) who heads The Run To The Rose field for the weekend along with runner-up in that Brisbane classic, the Chris Waller-trained Brazen Beau ($8).
Hallowed Crown meanwhile is also in the mix for the Golden Rose and pays $21 to win, a price that is set to firm if he can come up with an upset Run To The Rose result this weekend.
It is the same race Team Cummings raced Eurozone in last August, the subsequent Group 2 winner and dual Group 1 placegetter finishing eighth behind Va Pensiero.
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