Another Guineas Crown on the Line

Hallowed Crown (Aus) (Street Sense) stamped himself a colt of the highest class when earning his second Group 1 in the G1 Randwick Guineas Mar. 7, and he looks to extend his record in Saturday’s G1 Rosehill Guineas, a 2000 meter Classic that has often served as a springboard for 3-year-olds to go on to become top middle-distance performers. Hallowed Crown is unbeaten this season, having also won the G2 Hobartville S. over this strip Feb. 21. The bay races beyond a mile for the first time so while there are distance question marks, his Kentucky Derby-winning sire should be considered a plus. James Cummings, who trains Hallowed Crown in partnership with his grandfather, the legendary Bart Cummings, for Darley and Gooree Stud, described the colt as “lovely and relaxed” earlier in the week. 

“My grandfather tells me when a horse is happy they get better and better,” Cummings told Racenet. “From what I saw from him in his work on Saturday and [Tuesday], it’s not a horse that wants to savage the line every time he comes out to work. It’s the work of a horse that’s building, and keeps building into his preparation, and he’s built up a good record.” 

Godolphin’s Sweynesse (Aus) (Lonhro {Aus}) was second in both the Randwick Guineas and Hobartville, and he has the advantage of experience over the distance, having finished third, beaten 2 1/2 lengths, in the G1 Spring Champion S. in October. He was also beaten less than two lengths when eighth in the 2040 meter G1 Cox Plate last year. 

G1 New Zealand Derby winner Mongolian Khan (NZ) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) arrives in Australia with a big reputation on his shoulders. The colt has lost just once in seven outings, but co-trainer Andrew Forsman warned he has the opposite concern of some of his rivals–the Guineas distance could be too short. 

“Dropping back to 2000 meters is going to be what might pull him up,” Forsman told NZ Racing Desk. “There will be others with a bit more spring in their step than him. He had time off after the [New Zealand] Derby and we freshened him up. That will help, but he’s an out-and-out stayer and there are horses with a bit of a turn of foot, which might count against him.”