Hallowed Crown to toughen up for Doncaster in Rosehill Guineas

Hallowed Crown will step out as one of the favourites for the Group 1 $500,000 Sky Racing Rosehill Guineas (2000m) at Rosehill on Saturday but trainer James Cummings has his eye on a bigger prize at Randwick in two weeks time.

Hallowed Crown is one of the favourites for the Rosehill Guineas at Rosehill.Photo by Steve Hart.

Hallowed Crown is one of the favourites for the Rosehill Guineas at Rosehill.Photo by Steve Hart.

Cummings is hoping for another victory against the three year olds and is also expecting a solid hit out over the 2000m of the Rosehill Guineas will be the perfect preparation for the Group 1 $3m The Star Doncaster Mile (1600m) at Randwick on the first day of ‘The Championships’.

“The Guineas is the perfect progression for the horse and it will provide him with the reserves he can call on, much like Sacred Falls was able to with that 2000m under his belt,” Cummings told the Sportsman.

The Chris Waller trained Sacred Falls ran second to It’s A Dundeel in the 2013 Rosehill Guineas before going on to win the Doncaster Mile.

But as Waller pointed out on his Golden Slipper Day preview on his website, back in 2013 there was three weeks in between the Rosehill Guineas and the Doncaster Mile, not two weeks as is the case this year.

Cummings, who trains in partnership with his famous grandad Bart Cummings, says that Hallowed Crown is well weighted in the Doncaster Mile with 52kg, 4kg under weight for age.

“I believe we are well in the Doncaster at 4kg under weight for age and that’s the time I want to take on the best open class horses,” Cummings said.

“That’s the grand final so if I can be pushed to my limit by the three year old cohorts for this start, and I’d expect Sweynesse to push him again, that’s going to set him a lot better than taking on older horses at weight for age.”

“I just love the switch back in distance for the Doncaster two weeks later.”

Hallowed Crown and the John O’Shea trained Sweynesse will be clashing for the third time this Autumn Carnival with the Cummings colt holding the advantage with wins in the Group 2 $200,000 Blackwoods CRC Hobartville Stakes (1400m) at Rosehill on February 21 and in the Group 1 $600,000 Girvan Waugh Randwick Guineas (1600m) at Randwick a fortnight later.

Bookmakers also expect Hallowed Crown and Sweynesse to fight out the finish again and the two colts share favouritism for the Rosehill Guineas at $2.80 a piece at Ladbrokes.com.au.

The two Kiwi three year olds, Mongolian Khan at $5 and Volkstok’N’Barrell at $6 are next in the betting ahead of the Hampton Court at $26, Preferment at $31 and Pounamu at $101.

About The Author

Mark Mazzaglia

Mark is a passionate journalist with a life-time involvement in the racing industry. He spent many years as an analyst and form expert at the Courier Mail and also has hands-on experience working with some of Queensland’s top trainers.