Hallowed Crown, Dissident Score in Australia
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Gooree Stud's Hallowed Crown remains unbeaten after winning the AUS$1 million De Bertoli Wines Golden Rose (Aus-I) Sept. 13 at Rosehill Gardens.
Jockey Hugh Bowman brought the 3-year-old son of Darley's Central Kentucky-based Street Sense wide through the stretch and bested Scissor Kick by a neck at 6-1 odds.
Breaking from post 14 in the 15-horse field Hallowed Crown tracked in behind Scissor Kick, who started from the 12-hole, as the two colts settled well off the early pace.
Circling rivals while moving swiftly around the turn, Scissor Kick entered contention heading into the stretch but was doggedly pursued by Hallowed Crown to his outside. Scissor Kick spurted past front-runners Nostradamus and Almalad to lead in mid-stretch, but Hallowed Crown was right with him and edged past late for the win in 1:24 flat for the 1,400 meters (about seven furlongs).
Scissor Kick, at 13-1, was 1 1/2 lengths clear of third-place finisher Shooting to Win. Bring Me the Maid, the 3-1 favorite, finished eighth.
"Full credit to Scissor Kick, he was wide and did all the work but full credit to my horse; he's a superstar in the making," Bowman told www.abc.net.au after the race.
Hallowed Crown's victory marks a first group I win for James Cummings, who conditions the colt with his grandfather, legendary trainer Bart Cummings. The younger Cummings' wife, Monica, is the granddaughter of Hallowed Crown's owner Eduardo Cojuangco of Gooree Stud.
Winner of all four career starts, Hallowed Crown tallied a third group stakes. He is a homebred out of the Danehill mare Crowned Glory, a group III winner who was runner-up in the 2000 Golden Slipper (Aus-I) at age 2. Crowned Glory's dam Significant Moment is a half sister to group I winner and champion stallion Zabeel.
Elsewhere in Australia on Saturday, Dissident won his second group I race in as many starts, taking the Makybe Diva Stakes from Fawkner and Puissance de Lune at Flemington.
Ridden by Ben Melham, Dissident tracked pacesetter Messene from second while Fawkner pursed several lengths back in fourth. With the field bunched nearing the home turn, Dissident engaged Messene and then shook off that opponent just past the 400-meter mark. He was quickly joined to his outside by Fawkner, who fought him through the final 100 meters, but Dissident held strong for a half-head win.
the time for the 1,600-meter test (registered as the Craiglee Stakes) was 1:36.29.
Puissance de Lune came on strongly to finish three-quarters of a length back in third in the 10-horse field.
Dissident, a hopeful for the W. S. Cox Plate (Aus-I) in October, came in off a win in the Memsie Stakes (Aus-I) Aug. 30 at Caulfield. Trained by Peter Moody who campaigns him in partnership, the 4-year-old son of Sebring—-Diana's Secret, by Anabaa, has a 5-4-1 record from 15 career starts that also includes a win in the last season's Royal Randwick Guineas (Aus-I).