The prospect of a wet Randwick track on Saturday won’t hamper the chances of Hallowed Crown in the Group 1 $3m The Star Doncaster Mile (1600m), according to co-trainer James Cummings.
A wet track for the Doncaster Mile at Randwick won’t hamper the chances of Hallowed Crown. Photo by Steve Hart.
While Cummings isn’t wishing for a wet track, he is certain if the forecast rain arrives this weekend Hallowed Crown won’t be disadvantaged.
“We don’t need a wet track for the Doncaster but it wouldn’t hurt our colt and it might take the polish of some of the others,’’ James Cummings, who trains in partnership with his granddad Bart Cummings, told The Daily Telegraph.
Hallowed Crown is second in the market order for the Doncaster Mile behind Japanese galloper Real Impact and three of his six wins have been on rain affected tracks.
Australian Turf Club track manager Lindsay Murphy has the Randwick track rated as a soft 5 at the moment after 20mm of rain fell on Monday and is expecting more to arrive before Saturday, the first day of ‘The Championships’.
“The track isn’t too bad at the moment and although the forecast for the rest of this week isn’t the best, we are keeping our fingers crossed,’’ Murphy said.
Cummings can’t fault Hallowed Crown who will be dropping back to the 1600m after finishing third behind Volkstock’N’Barrell and Preferment in the Group 1 $500,000 Sky Racing Rosehill Guineas (2000m) at Rosehill on March 21.
“I can’t stress how well this colt is at the moment,” Cummings said.
The Street Sense colt will be tackling the older horses for the first time after Cummings had keep him to his own age group against the three year olds to date.
Hallowed Crown kicked off his Autumn Carnival campaign with a win in the Group 2 $200,000 Blackwoods CRC Hobartville Stakes (1400m) at Rosehill on February 21 followed by a win in the Group 1 $600,000 Girvan Waugh Randwick Guineas (1600m) at Randwick on March 7.
Golden Slipper winning jockey Tommy Berry will take over the reins on Hallowed Crown from regular rider Hugh Bowman after the colt has handicapped with 52kg for the famous Randwick Feature Mile.
“We’ve had plenty of luck together and hopefully it’ll continue,” Berry said.
“He’s a wonderful horse that never runs a bad race.”
