Hallowed Crown, Dissident boost resumes in Australia

It was a day of firsts at Rosehill Gardens in Sydney Saturday as Hallowed

Crown took the Group 1 Golden Rose, handing sire Street Sense a first Group 1

winner Down Under, as well as recording the first win at the highest level for

the fledgling training partnership of the legendary Bart Cummings and his

grandson, James.

Hallowed Crown hinted at his talent when breaking his maiden by 1 1/2 lengths

first out at Randwick March 26, and followed up by the same margin three weeks

later in that track's Kindergarten Stakes. Shelved for the Australian winter,

the homebred picked up where he left off when annexing this race's premier local

prep, the Run to the Rose, over 1200 meters August 30.

Breaking with the field from his wide berth, Hallowed Crown dropped back to

travel near the rear of the pack, with Scissor Kick -- out wide without cover --

as his target through the early stages. That pair began a rally in tandem coming

off the turn, with Scissor Kick grabbing the lead inside the final 100 meters.

It was a short-lived lead, however, as Hallowed Crown called on all his reserves

to get his neck in front on the line.

"That's what the good horses have got to do -- they need to keep taking that

step," James Cummings told

RacingNetwork.com.au.

"We thought he was one of the best three-year-old's on his return two weeks ago,

and he had to do it again. To make such a sustained run today -- Zoustar did it

last year and there is shades of it this year. He has a turn of foot and it is

able to get him out of trouble. The world is his oyster and who knows how far he

can go."

Over at Flemington, Dissident made it a Group 1 double and vaulted himself

into joint favoritism for the A$3 million Cox Plate with a gritty victory in the

Makybe Diva. A debut winner going 1,000 meters in the 2013 Blue Diamond Preview

at Caulfield, the Peter Moody charge finished third in the Blue Diamond Prelude

two weeks later, but failed to win again until this year's Hobartville in March.

He made up for lost time, however, next out when recording his first win at the

highest level in the Randwick Guineas, and after sixth and 12th-place finishes,

respectively, in the Rosehill Guineas and Doncaster Mile, was put away for the

winter.

He roared back with a win in the August 30 Memsie Stakes, and was heavily

favored for this. Off among the leaders and about four-wide, Dissident ended up

second, about two lengths off Messene, once the field sorted itself out heading

into the turn. Drawing even with that rival as the rest of the field closed in

coming off the turn, Dissident grabbed the lead at the 250-meter mark and showed

determination to hold off a late charge from Fawkner, with whom he is joint

favorite for the Cox Plate.

"He was really impressive today," jockey Ben Melham told RacingNetwork.com.au.

"He showed gate speed and was able to dictate the race from where he was. On

straightening he showed the attributes of a good horse. Fawkner got level with

him and he answered."

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