Hallowed Crown has maintained his unbeaten record with a rousing success in the Group 1 Golden Rose Stakes.
The Bart and James Cummings-trained colt had shown an abundance of promise in winning his first three career outings and was well fancied to take out last Saturday’s Group 1 Golden Rose Stakes (1400m).
Hallowed Crown didn’t disappoint, overpowering a brave Scissor Kick and claiming a memorable victory for everyone involved.
Ygritte set a moderate to slow tempo and Hallowed Crown settled well back in the field.
He crept closer around runners from the 800m, tracking into the race beautifully behind Scissor Kick who had been caught wide throughout.
On straightening, Hallowed Crown peeled off Scissor Kick’s heels and after a tough run in transit, Scissor Kick could not match the Cummings-trained colt with Bowman urging him to a slender victory.
The Street Sense entire became the first Group 1 winner for the Bart and James Cummings-trained partnership and the first top level success Gooree racing manager Monica Cummings and her new husband James have celebrated in partnership.
It truly was a family affair all round with the Gooree Stud-raced home bred out of their 2000 Golden Slipper runner up Crowned Glory.
The win was also the final leg of a race to race Group treble for Hugh Bowman last Saturday who continued his hot run of form since returning from a Hong Kong riding stint.
Focusing on the run itself, Hallowed Crown’s victory in the Golden Rose Stakes yielded the Street Sense three-year-old a new master Timeform rating of 119, four pounds clear of his prior figure when claiming the Run To The Rose.
He is the first horse since Denman in 2009 to have claimed the Run To The Rose – Golden Rose double since it was elevated to Group 1 status in 2009.
The win itself came in below the prior five year winning average of the event.
This is understandable considering the question mark there is on the current crop of three-year-old colts and geldings regarding their quality.
Form out of the Golden Rose tends to prove strong through the remainder of the season with a subsequent Group one winner coming out of the race in every year since it was renamed the Golden Rose Stakes from the Peter Pan.
The 2013 renewal has proven particularly strong with the quinella in Zoustar and Dissident each tasting subsequent Group 1 success.
Dissident is now a multiple Group 1 winner having won both the Memsie Stakes (1400m) and Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) this campaign after claiming the Randwick Guineas as a three-year-old.
Zoustar during his three-year-old spring claimed the Roman Consul Stakes and Coolmore Stud Stakes following his Golden Rose victory.
Hallowed Crown is expected to take the exact same path as Zoustar while runner up Scissor Kick will head to the Caulfield Guineas via the Stan Fox Stakes.
Rosehill played host to a number of promising winners over the course of Golden Rose Stakes day.
He’s Your Man was a convincing winner of the Group 3 Kingston Town Stakes (2000m) and is now likely headed toward the Group 1 Metropolitan Handicap (2400m).
Herculian Prince was the last horse to claim the Kingston Town Stakes – Metropolitan Handicap double in 2010.
Cluster confirmed himself a place in the Group 1 Epsom Handicap after his exciting win in the Group 2 Theo Marks Stakes (1400m).
The Peter Snowden-trained entire has always had an abundance of promise and last Saturday showcased it in the Theo Marks Stakes.
Settled back in the field, Cluster proved too strong for his rivals charging home out wide ahead of Bull Boint.
His winning performance returned a Timeform rating of 116p, two pounds clear of his prior peak when placing in the Group 3 Bill Stutt Stakes as a three-year-old 12 months ago.
Now exempt from ballot in the Epsom Handicap, Cluster would carry just 52kg in the prestigious mile event on October 4 although connections are also contemplating the Sir Rupert Clarke (1400m) at Caulfield as a Group 1 goal for their Fastnet Rock colt.
The other stakes winner for the day was the Chris Waller-trained Catkins who resumed with a clinical victory in the Group 3 Sheraco Stakes (1200m).
Catkins looked pitchforked in under Set Weight plus Penalties conditions and was understandably an odds-on favourite.
The multiple Group winner was giving a majority of her rivals only 4kg and considering what she has done on the racetrack, would have been giving considerably more under handicap conditions.
Possessing a master Timeform rating of 116, Catkins didn’t need anything remotely close to that in claiming last Saturday’s Sheraco Stakes.
She ran to a figure of 109+ in the display and the Ingham-raced grey will have a main spring goal of the Group 1 Myer Classic, a race which she ran second in behind former stablemate Red Tracer 12 months ago.
