The 2015 Hobartville Stakes field has been released and a number of the most talented three-year-olds in the country are set to clash in the Group 2 event at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday.
Hallowed Crown will take on Shooting To Win in the 2015 Hobartville Stakes at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday. Photo by: Steve Hart
Shooting To Win has not been seen at the races since he scored an upset win over Rich Enuff in the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas (1600n) in October last year and will make his highly anticipated return this weekend.
The Northern Meteor colt has done plenty of work in the lead-up to the Hobartville Stakes and showed that he was ready for a return to racing when he defeated a star-studded field to take out a barrier trial over 1000 metres at Royal Randwick on February 2.
Shooting To Win (barrier ten) is set to return to the highest level of racing in the Group 1 Royal Randwick Guineas (1600m) after resuming in the Hobartville Stakes and will likely press on to races like the Group 1 George Ryder Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill Gardens on March 21 and the Group 1 Doncaster Mile (1600m) at Royal Randwick on April 4.
Another Group 1 winner that is set to return to racing in the 2015 Hobartville Stakes is Team Cummings-trained Hallowed Crown.
Hallowed Crown (barrier four) won both the Group 3 The Run To The Rose (1200m) and the Group 1 Golden Rose Stakes (1400m) during the 2014 Spring Racing Carnival before he was sent to the spelling paddock after finishing fourth in the Group 2 Roman Consul Stakes (1200m).
The Street Sense colt is set to follow a similar path to Shooting To Win during the 2015 Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival and he finished third behind his rival in a barrier trial over 1000 metres at Royal Randwick on February 2.
Hampton Court and Preferment both recorded their wins at the highest level of racing over greater distances than 1400 metres, but they have both been included in the 2015 Hobartville Stakes field.
Preferment (barrier seven) produced a strong staying effort to record the first race win of his racing career in the Group 1 Victoria Derby (2500m) at Flemington on November 1, while Hampton Court (barrier three) upset First Seal and Sweynesse to win the Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes (2000m).
Both horses have been included in the 2015 Australian Derby nominations, but Hampton Court is still a question mark at 2400 metres and has instead been set for the Group 1 Rosehill Guineas (2000m).
Other talented gallopers that will be returning to racing in the Hobartville Stakes include Godolphin colt Sweynesse (barrier five) and 2014 Crown Oaks runner-up Thunder Lady (barrier one).
The Group 3 Eskimo Prince Stakes (1200m) is set to be the key form reference for the Hobartville Stakes and the likes of Scissor Kick, Delectation (barrier six), Kermadec (barrier nine) and Diamond Valores (barrier eight) will all be backing-up from the Group 3 event.
Delectation looked as though he had the Eskimo Prince Stakes won at the 2000 metre mark, but he appeared to shy at something on the track and Scissor Kick finished over the top of the Coolmore Stud Stakes placegetter.
Scissor Kick showed an impressive turn-of-foot in his Eskimo Prince Stakes victory, but his Hobartville Stakes chances received a setback when he allocated the outside barrier for the Group 2 event.
His stablemate Panzer Division (barrier 12) has also been included in the Hobartville Stakes field and will be returning to three-year-old company after he resumed with a fourth place finish in the Group 2 Expressway Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill Gardens on January 31.
The 2014 Hobartville Stakes was won by Dissident, who went on to take out the Royal Randwick Guineas and stamp himself as arguably the best miler in Australia during the 2014 Spring Racing
