Godolphin three year old Sweynesse gets his chance to turn the tables on his archrival Hallowed Crown as he steps up to the 2000m in the Group 1 $500,000 Sky Racing Rosehill Guineas at Rosehill on Saturday.
Sweynesse, above, will clash with Hallowed Crown again in the Rosehill Guineas at Rosehill. Photo by Steve Hart.
Even though Sweynesse is yet to win beyond 1800m, trainer John O’Shea considers the Rosehill Guineas distance to be ideal for his colt.
“I always thought that was his optimum distance,” O’Shea told AAP.
Hallowed Crown and Swyenesse will be clashing for the third time this Autumn Carnival after running the quinella 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 two weeks later.
While Hallowed Crown will be facing new territory stepping up to the 2000m for the first time, Sweynesse has been tested over the distance on two occasions.
The Lonhro colt finished third to Hampton Court in the Group 1 $400,000 Moet & Chandon Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) at Randwick on October 11 during the 2014 Sydney Spring Carnival before heading to Melbourne to be beaten less than two lengths when eighth to Adelaide in the Group 1 $3m Sportingbet Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley.
Prior to his third in the Spring Champion Stakes Sweynesse showed his middle distance potential with a strong win in the Group 3 $200,000 Gloaming Stakes over 1800m at Rosehill.
While the Godolphin Team will be willing Sweynesse to gain a victory over Hallowed Crown, it will also be wanting the Cummings trained colt to do well.
Darley Australia, the breeding arm of the Godolphin Thoroughbred operation in Australia, have obtained a share of the ownership in Hallowed Crown and each Group 1 win will enhanced the future stallion’s stud value.
“He’s a horse that we identified as being a horse that we wanted Sheikh Mohammed to have an interest in. So to quinella those two lead-ups was a big result for the company and Sheikh Mohammed and hopefully we can do it again on Saturday,” said Jason Walsh, Godolphin racing manager and Darley’s Australian bloodstock manager.
There is virtually nothing separating Hallowed Crown, $2.70, and Sweynesse, $2.80, in the Rosehill Guineas market order at Ladbrokes.com.au and either colt could start the favourite at post time.
Next in the betting are the two New Zealand three year olds Mongolina Khan at $5.50 and Volkstock’N’Barrell at $6 while Hampton Court at $26, Victoria Derby winner Preferment at $31 and Pounamu at $101 are the outsiders of the same field.
