Hallowed given a chance to rule

Amid a banner year for first-year stallions, Hallowed Crown's first crop have made a quiet start, with three winners in Australia but Gooree Park Manager Andrew Baddock believes they are set to come into their own as they turn three.

The Gooree-owned Rule the World has earned status as currently the best of that first crop, winning his first two starts for Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott including a 2YO Hcp at Randwick last Saturday, while Godolphin colt Widespread and Stuart Kendrick's colt Let's Cheer Again have also broken their maidens.

In Singapore, the Australian-bred Big Hearted has won both his races, while Allhallowtide (Ire) is Hallowed Crown's winner to date from his first crop, when he shuttled to Kildangan Stud in Ireland for two seasons.

The numbers are solid, without being spectacular, however the insight Baddock brings is that the patience of those who have supported the Darley stallion will be rewarded.

"We’ve got a lot of Hallowed Crowns coming through, they were always going to take a bit of time," he said.

"He's by a Kentucky Derby winner (Street Sense {USA}) from the immediate family of Zabeel (NZ), so they are only going to get better over time. We’ve got some lovely types, and I'm sure we will get plenty of winners by the stallion."

As a racehorse, Hallowed Crown blossomed early in his 3-year-old season. He was unbeaten as a 2-year-old, including a Group 3 victory, but stepped it up with wins in the G3 Run To the Rose and G1 Golden Rose soon after turning three, giving James Cummings his first Group 1 and his grandfather Bart his 268th.

He would go on to win a G1 Randwick Guineas and G2 Hobartville S. later in his 3-year-old season before heading off to Darley, where he served 100 mares in his first year at $33,000 (inc GST).

The numbers have declined, as has his service fee, which is at $11,000 for 2019, as breeders await the progress of his early crops, but Baddock has retained the faith and sees the current pricing as a fantastic opportunity for breeders.

"If a stallion's progeny take a bit of time, commercially, they can go off the boil but that's when you can step into them. The Hallowed Crowns are very nice horses. He's well-priced this coming season," he said.

"There is no doubt they will be better their latter half of their 2-year-old year into their 3-year-old year and beyond."

"They all seem to have good temperaments like he did and they are pretty foolproof sort of horses. We are happy to have as many as we can."

World at his feet

Baddock is confident that Rule The World fits that description, and like his sire, can turn a promising 2-year-old campaign into stakes success as a 3-year-old. But he is loathed to make comparison between the two on type, given he feels this colt has always loomed as a horse who could get out over ground.

"Gai and Adrian have always had a good opinion of him. He always looked like he was going to be a middle-distance type. He trialled earlier this year and he was a bit shinny and a bit coltish. They knew he'd get better with age. Gai's very good at tapping away at those types of horses," he said.

"To be fair, his father was quite brilliant and had a good turn of foot, I think this guy, dare I say, reminds me of a horse like Desert War (Desert King {Ire}). He's got a high cruising speed, and he's tough and just keeps going. That's the impression I keep getting from him."

"Gai trains them tough and they are hard and fit and I can see that's the horse he is going to end up being."

Desert War proved a superb horse for Gooree and Waterhouse, winning six Group 1s and Baddock has every faith that Tulloch Lodge is the right place for Rule The World to be to reach his potential.

"We've had a lot of luck with Gai over the years. Our horses don’t go through sales, so they might be a bit slow learning, like this fellow, but she taps away at them and she can train them hard and get them to a fitness level not many can," he said.

The immediate target is a short spell with a possible campaign towards the G1 Spring Champion S. and G1 Victoria Derby. That's a path Waterhouse and Bott plotted with Thinkin' Big (High Chaparral {Ire}) who emerged through the winter racing last year.

"There are plenty of races for a horse like him. A race like the Spring Champion S. would suit him into the Victoria Derby. They are the obvious ones. A horse that can get over ground, can sit on the speed and relax, they are the pluses with him going forward," he said.

He hails from a strong Gooree family, with his dam Pay Off Now (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), a half-sister to the four-time stakes-winner Gamble Me (Rock of Gibraltar{Ire}).

Pay Off Now has a weanling filly by Artie Schiller (USA) who has made an impression on Baddock, while she will revisit Hallowed Crown this season having slipped to him in 2018.

Elton on Song

Another Gooree Park-bred stallion who had a likely headline horse emerge on the weekend was Your Song, after Sir Elton's impressive win on Saturday.

Based at Widden Stud, Your Song has three crops at the track, and this season will finish inside the Top 50 sires in Australia with 67 winners, including two stakes level in Brave Song and Gem Song.

"He can throw a cracking type, Your Song, just like himself. He has been a bit of a victim that his numbers have been all over the place in terms of mares. There's not been a lot of hype on them, but he is winning a lot of races," Baddock said.

"What he needs is a real headline horse to cement him so he can get a solid book of mares each year, because he can throw a good sort."

Sir Elton may prove to be that horse having won his first three starts for Gosford trainer Adam Duggan, including Saturday's impressive two-length win over 1100m.

"He's very sharp and looks very promising. It’s good for the sire. We've got a lot in the system here and they are good-looking horses that's for sure," Baddock said.