The Group I ATC Australian Oaks (2400m) at Randwick on Saturday provided a tough staying test that brought about the undoing of established Group I fillies Probabeel and Shout the Bar with progressive Hallowed Crown filly Colette claiming victory as a heavily backed favourite.
A dominant winner of the Group III ATC Adrian Knox Stakes (2000m) last Saturday, the James Cummings trained Colette repeated her success with Glen Boss in the saddle this time, defeating the same fillies she beat last week in Toffee Tongue and Quintessa.
She was dominant to the line winning eased down by two and a half lengths.
Well fancied Group I winning fillies Shout the Bar and Probabeel both finished outside the top four, the heavy ground and strong pace proving a bridge too far.
A homebred for Godolphin, Colette has made rapid progress since winning her first race at Newcastle on February 8. She has gone on to win her three starts in a row culminating in her Oaks triumph.
“She’s a beauty, some people said to me a couple of runs back she must be a good filly if you’re sending Darren Beadman to saddle her at Newcastle on a Saturday and they might have been on the money,” said James Cummings.
“She’s a special filly for us from the first season of Hallowed Crown, who could well get more of these classic horses.
“Ollly Tait was on the ball, it looks like a smart move for him to acquire that horse for Twin Hills.”
She has the overall record of four wins and two seconds from seven starts with earnings in excess of $560,000.
Colette is a half-sister to juvenile stakes-winner Metastasio and is the best of six winners from unraced Singspiel mare Libretto, who comes from a family steeped in European staying stakes-winners including Group I winner Cerulean Sky
Libretto was pensioned in 2019 and Colette is her final foal.
She is the first stakes-winner and now the first Group I winner for Hallowed Crown, who moves to Twin Hills Stud this spring after stating his stud career with Darley.
Like Smart Missile (who also now stands at Twin Hills) , the Group I ATC Randwick Guineas and Group I Golden Rose Stakes winner Hallowed Crown was bred and raced by Gooree Stud.
A half-brother to successful stallion Needs Further from the family of champion sire Zabeel, Hallowed Crown will stand at a fee of $11,000.
