Tommy Berry has the tough task of negotiating another feature race wide barrier when he partners Hallowed Crown in the Group 1 $3m The Star Doncaster Mile (1600m) at Randwick on Saturday, the first day of ‘The Championships’.
Tommy Berry will ride Hallowed Crown who will jump from the outside barrier in the Doncaster Mile at Randwick. Photo by Steve Hart.
Berry successfully overcame the outside barrier on Vancouver in the sixteen horse field of the Group 1 $3.5m Tooheys New Golden Slipper Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill on March 21 to score a slashing win on the Gai Waterhouse trained colt.
And Berry will have to be at his at his coolest best when he lines up for from the outside of the twenty horse Doncaster Mile field on Hallowed Crown.
James Cummings, who trains in partnership with his grand father Bart Cummings, knows he has the right man for the job to give Hallowed Crown the best chance after the Street Sense colt draw twenty-three out of twenty-four in the original draw but will likely jump from gate twenty if all four emergencies fail to gain a start.
“My jockey was successful in navigating a path from the extreme wide alley in the Golden Slipper so it ironic that we have got Tommy Berry for Hallowed Crown in the same scenario,” James Cummings told Racing HQ.
Even though drawing out wide is always a concern, Cummings said that the horses drawn near Hallowed Crown could held him find a good position and take him forward at the right time.
“As far as the barrier is concerned it is interesting to see that he has drawn near horses that will give him the opportunity of bringing him into the race,” Cummings said.
“Real Impact is likely to take a forward position, it will come into eighteen, there are horses there like Royal Descent and Diamond Drille that have been running on strongly their last few, and Sacred Falls has a tendency to get back but he loves the Randwick Mile.”
“He is going to stoke up late, he is going to get going even with the 58kg on his back, I am sure he is going to put in a big effort. So they have all drawn nearby.”
“You could obviously conclude that horses that are advantaged by the draw are horses like Plucky Belle, who is a last start Coolmore winner comes into nine, Arabian Gold who remains in five and It’s Somewhat has drawn nicely coming out of weight for age and even Happy Trails coming back from the Australian Cup.”
“Those four horses have drawn well but it’s not to say that I haven’t drawn near horses that have the opportunity to drag me right into the race and be competitive as he has been.”
Cummings has been pleased with the Hallowed Crown’s work since running third to Volkstock’N’Barrell in the Group 1 $500,000 Sky Racing Rosehill Guineas (2000m) at Rosehill on March 21 and said that Berry has been acquainted with him on a couple of occasions in the last week.
“I’m just glad to see him work so well this morning to offset the disappointment of drawing out in the twenty,” Cummings said.
“He (Berry) had a little trot and canter of the horse during the week, and he was very pleased with the horse, he is extremely excited. He is going to suit the horse there is no doubt about that and it’s a pleasure to have him on at 52kg.”
Hallowed Crown has held his spot at the top of the market for Doncaster Mile with Ladbrokes.com.au even though he looks like jumping from the outside of the field and is currently the $5.50 ahead of the Chris Waller trained second emergency Kermadec at $6.50.
Japanese galloper Real Impact also remains high up in the betting at $7 even though he draw twenty-one in the original barrier draw and is just ahead of Pornichet at $8.50 and Royal Descent at $10.
Doncaster Mile market Order: $5.50 Hallowed Crown, $6.50, Kermadec, $7 Real Impact, $8.50 Pornichet, $10 Royal Descent, $11 Sweynesse, $14 World Ace, $16 Sacred Falls, $17 It’s Somewhat, Suavito, $21 Happy Trails, Cosmic Endeavour, Rudy, Arabian Gold, Hooked, $26 Diamond Drille, $31 Leebaz, Plucky Belle, $51 Ninth Legion, $67 Moriarty, Destiny’s Kiss, $101 Malavio, Puccini, $151 Aomen.
