The 2015 Royal Randwick Guineas field has been released and a small yet select field of quality three-year-olds are set to contest the Group 1 event at Royal Randwick on Saturday.
Hallowed Crown, Shooting To Win and Sweynesse have all been included in the 2015 Royal Randwick Guineas field. Photo by: Steve Hart
Hallowed Crown is one of three Group 1 winners that will contest the Royal Randwick Guineas this weekend and the Street Sense colt is set to jump from the inside gate.
The three-year-old won the Group 1 Golden Rose Stakes (1400m) during the 2014 Spring Racing Carnival and he returned to racing with a tough win in the Group 2 Hobartville Stakes (1400m) at Rosehill Gardens on February 21, but he will be stepping up to a mile for the first time in his racing career.
Shooting To Win was forced to do some early work from a wide gate in the Hobartville Stakes, but he is set to receive an easier run in transit in the Royal Randwick Guineas after drawing ideally in barrier two.
The Northern Meteor colt won over a mile in the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) during the 2014 Spring Racing Carnival and he looked like the winner in the Hobartville Stakes, but fitness told in the final stages and he could finish no better than fourth.
Another horse that fought out the finish in the Hobartville Stakes was Godolphin colt Sweynesse and he has been included in the 2015 Royal Randwick Guineas field.
Sweynesse stormed home late to run impressive closing sectionals in the Hobartville Stakes to finish second and he won the Group 3 Spring Stakes (1600m) over a mile in the spring, but he may need some luck in running after drawing the outside barrier for the Royal Randwick Guineas.
Kermadec was the other placegetter in the Hobartville Stakes and he has been included in the Royal Randwick Guineas field, but he is unlikely to take his place in the race.
The Chris Waller-trained galloper will be included in the 2015 Australian Guineas field that will be released later this morning and the Teofilo colt is set to return to Melbourne for the Group 1 event as long as he draws favorably.
The Australian Guineas was also an option for Scissor Kick, but trainer Paul Messara has confirmed that the Redoute’s Choice colt will remain in Sydney for the Royal Randwick Guineas after he drew ideally in barrier three.
Scissor Kick has been plagued by poor barriers throughout his racing career and he would have arguably won the Golden Rose Stakes and finished closer in the Hobartville Stakes if he had drawn a better barrier.
Preferment was outpaced in the Hobartville Stakes and is sure to benefit from the step-up to a mile as he works towards races like the Group 1 Rosehill Guineas (2000m) and Group 1 Australian Derby (2400m), while the Royal Randwick Guineas final field is rounded out by last start winner Rhodin Drive and Bryce Heys-trained Sworn To Silence, who will be ridden by talented hoop Zac Purton.
The 2014 edition of the Royal Randwick Guineas was won by Dissident, who went on to win the Group 1 Memsie Stakes (1400m) and Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) during the 2014 Spring Racing Carnival.
