Last start Golden Rose winner Hallowed Crown leads a small six horse field for the 2014 Roman Consul Stakes in Sydney on Saturday, betting tips for the Royal Randwick showdown detailed below.

Due to run as Race 4 at 2:05pm, this year’s $175,000 Group 2 Sydney City Toyota Roman Consul Stakes (1200m) betting markets are led by the Bart & James Cummings-trained Hallowed Crown at $2.15 through Ladbrokes.com.au.

The Street Sense colt is the deserving favourite having won all four of his starts to date including his only other run at Randwick in the Group 3 Kindergarten Stakes last season, and both 1200m runs.

He’s back in distance and class after a tight win over Scissor Kick in the Group 1 Golden Rose (1400m) but should have enough zip to hold them off again as he heads towards a Melbourne run on November 1 during the Cup Carnival in the Coolmore Stud Stakes on Derby Day.

His biggest threats in the Roman Consul Stakes odds are perceived to be the Chris Waller-trained Brazen Beau ($3.90) second-up for the season here with Group 1 form around last Friday’s Stutt Stakes winner Almalad, the returning Gerald Ryan-trained Group 2 winner Time For War ($6) and Nostradamus ($6.50) who comes off a Golden Rose fifth.

So will Hallowed Crown remain undefeated after Saturday?

Or is there an upset Roman Consul Stakes result with the favourite to suffer his first defeat on the back of a Group 1 triumph?

1^st

#1 Hallowed Crown ($2.15)

Think Team Cummings’ contender is all class and will make it five-from-five here. Golden Rose win was tight and the runner-up was luckless in defeat but that takes nothing away from the winner who has handled all types of tracks now, earlier talk he was only good in the wet, and has won both his previous starts over this distance. Out wide in the Rose so small field will suit and has had a three-week freshen-up.

2^nd

#2 Time For War ($6)

Won the BRC Sires’ Produce Stakes over Brazen Beau in the winter in Brisbane and then was 2.4 lengths off Alamald (Brazen Beau second) when stepped up to the mile for the JJ Atkins last time out. Hasn’t had an official trial but is a classy front-runner that will be going forward in a small field. First-up form is good (2-2-0-0) including the Group 2 Pago Pago Stakes in Sydney first-up over this distance last season. Will get to the front and if he can hold it will be hard to hold off.

3^rd

#4 Nostradamus ($6.50)

Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes-trained colt comes off a fifth in the Golden Rose. Before that was seventh to Hallowed Crown in the Run To The Rose but didn’t like the Heavy-rated track. First-up got firmer ground to win the Group 3 San Domenico Stakes and should get another track to his liking here. Far from disgraced in the Group 1 last time out and is ready to atone for that here getting into a better spot with fewer rivals and the pressure off.

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*All odds quoted are Fixed Win from Ladbrokes.com.au and subject to change