Golden Slipper winning jockey Tommy Berry will be the new rider for Hallowed Crown in the Group 1 $3m The Star Doncaster Mile (1600m) at Randwick on April 4, the first day of ‘The Championships’.
Tommy Berry, above, will be the new rider for Hallowed Crown in the Doncaster Mile. Photo by Steve Hart.
Berry celebrated his second win in the Group 1 $3.5m Tooheys New Golden Slipper Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill last Saturday on the Gai Waterhouse trained Vancouver following his win two years ago on Overreach and will replace Hugh Bowman on Hallowed Crown in the Doncaster Mile.
Hallowed Crown has been handicapped with 52kg, well below Bowman’s riding weight, and will have two weeks to tune up for the Doncaster Mile after finishing third behind Kiwi three year old Volkstock’N’Barrell and Preferment in the Group 1 $500,000 Sky Racing Rosehill Guineas (2000m) at Rosehill last Saturday.
Berry has had plenty of success this season for Hallowed Crown’s trainers Bart and James Cummings and is hoping the luck continues in one the feature races of ‘The Championships’.
“We’ve had plenty of luck together and hopefully it’ll continue,” Berry told The Daily Telegraph.
“He’s a wonderful horse that never runs a bad race.”
Berry will be looking for his second Doncaster Mile trophy after winning on the three year old Sacred Falls two years ago.
Hallowed Crown, with Bowman aboard, started off his Autumn Carnival campaign in fine style with wins in the Group 2 $200,000 Blackwoods CRC Hobartville Stakes (1400m) at Rosehill on February 21 and the Group 1 $600,000 Girvan Waugh Randwick Guineas (1600m) at Randwick on March 7.
The Street Sense colt then suffered his first defeat this preparation when stepping up to the 2000m for the first time and faded slightly over the final fifty metres to finish third in the Rosehill Guineas.
Co-trainer James Cummings said the plan all along was to run Hallowed Crown over the 2000m of the Rosehill Guineas and then bring the three year old back to 1600m for his grand final in the Doncaster Mile.
“I believe we are well in the Doncaster at 4kg under weight for age and that’s the time I want to take on the best open class horses,” James Cummings said.
“I just love the switch back in distance for the Doncaster two weeks later.”
Hallowed Crown is on the second line of betting for the Doncaster Mile at $8 with Ladbrokes.com.au behind the Japanese galloper Real Impact who was promoted to the top of the market order at $6 after a tough win in the Group 1 $1m George Ryder Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill last Saturday.
The Chris Waller trained three year old Kermadec, who finished third in the George Ryder, shares the next line of betting at $13 with fifth placed Shooting To Win and the other Japanese trained galloper World Ace.
