THE Bart and James Cummings-trained Hallowed Crown set the stage for an enthralling Randwick Guineas in two weeks’ time following his strong-willed victory in the Hobartville Stakes at Rosehill Gardens.

With Darley having bought into the Street Sense colt after his Group 1 Golden Rose win, Saturday’s Group 2 over 1,400 metres saw Hallowed Crown held up along the rail as runs to the outside evaporated. Through a narrow gap, Hugh Bowman kept Hallowed Crown to the rail as the colt refused to throw in the towel. A half-neck saw him home as the Lonhro colt Sweynesse, less than two lengths behind Adelaide in the Cox Plate, took second, a head in front of the Teofilo colt Kermadec. Fourth was the Caulfield Guineas winner Shooting To Win with the Group 3 Eskimo Prince winner Scissor Kick fifth.

TENACIOUS JOCKEY

“I had Hugh Bowman, a tenacious jockey, on the most determined horse I have had anything to do with,” said co-trainer James Cummings. “Full credit to horses like Sweynesse, Shooting To Win and Scissor Kick they look magnificent. They’re going to be right there again in two weeks (Randwick Guineas) but the thing my horse has is a winning attitude. It’s rare in a horse.”

The win was Hallowed Crown’s fifth from six starts.

Kaye’s Iamishwara takes Haunui

IAMISHWARA, a 2011 NZ$8,000 Karaka Festival sale yearling, has blown the likes of stallion prospect Puccini and dual Group 1 winner Soriano out of the water to land the Group 1 Haunui Farm Classic over 1,600 metres at Otaki on Saturday.

Trained and owned at Awapuni by Antony Kaye, the Keeninsky five-year-old gelding was given a very even ride by Robert Hannam who had Iamishwara handy throughout and then saved a lot of ground cutting the corner on the final bend as the field drifted wide in search of better footing. Drawing up alongside Natuzzi, the pair fought right to the line with Iamishwara getting the nod by a short-head over the Coats Choice gelding with the Darci Brahma gelding Julinsky Prince third.

“It was a fantastic run,” said Kaye. “I’ve always had a lot of faith in him and he has always shown me plenty of ability that he could do that. He has had a lot of doubters in the past and it just panned out in his favour with the way the race was run with a slow tempo early on. We will be looking at the (Group 1) NZ International Trophy (March 21st) at Tauranga next but it depends how he pulls through this. He will be up in the ratings now so just having a think about it at this stage.”

Canterbury quarantine centre to go ahead

UNLIKE last year when Gordon Lord Byron had to quarantine in Melbourne before traveling to Sydney for The Championships, this year, Sydney’s Canterbury Racecourse has been given federal government approval to host an equine quarantine centre. The centre opened this week and can accommodate up to 12 horse with the first guests being the Japanese horses, To The World, Tosen Stardom, Real Impact and World Ace. The centre has a self-contained surgery, scrubbing room, digital security and surveillance with horses having access to Canterbury’s course proper.

Melbourne Premier Sale from Monday

INGLIS will conduct the Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale from their Oaklands headquarters from Monday. The four-day sale, the source of such stars as Black Caviar, Sacred Kingdom and Starspangledbanner, has the first three days set aside for session one, horses which comprise 623 of the 782 lots catalogued.

In the middle of the sale is also a 52 lot run badged the blue riband session for horses with elite staying pedigrees featuring yearlings by High Chaparral, Savabeel, New Approach, Reset, Redoute’s Choice, Street Cry and O’Reilly. Best represented of the first season sires will be Helmet (32 lots), as well as Smart Missile (25), Foxwedge (19), Master Of Design (19), Canford Cliffs (18), So You Think (18), Toorak Toff (18) and Sepoy (13).