Unraced at two, Godolphin’s 3yo Hallowed Crown colt Vilana has quietly built a formidable record. His third stakes success of the season came in Saturday’s $250,000 Group III Mullins Lawyers Fred Best Classic (1400m) at Eagle Farm.
Ridden by Sam Clipperton for James Cummings, Vilana held Tracy Bartley’s fast-finishing Shamus Award gelding Kiss Sum by a half-length with the Zoustar gelding Battleton a further three-quarter length back in third.
Cummings said the son of Hallowed Crown disappointed the stable when fifth in the Hawkesbury Guineas, and they did not pay up for the Stradbroke.
“He’s rather lightly-raced, and it’s not a bad thing to be coming into this sort of form two weeks out from the Stradbroke,” Cummings said.
“We thought about him for the Stradbroke in the initial nominations, but after he faded on his run in the Hawkesbury Guineas, we couldn’t quite see it happening. Consequently, we’d have to find the late pay up now because we left him out of the first declarations.
“As is customary, when you leave a horse out of the acceptances all cylinders start firing, and he’s just been flying ever since.
“The win was good enough and probably from that prizemoney we could arguably find the money necessary to throw him back in.
"He’s a three-quarter brother to Savatiano and good mares like Athiri. He’s just beautifully bred being out of Retsina, and being by Halowed Crown is satisfying, and if we did get a wet track thrown up at us in a couple of weeks time, which is pretty unlikely given it took you 100ml to get you to heavy track two weeks ago he’d be capable here too.
“The right call was made by freshening him up since the failure in the Hawkesbury Guineas, we probably just made a bit too much use of him.
“He was really our trackwork horse of the week, and he’s got up and delivered on the day which is pleasing to see from a young colt with a bit of a future ahead of him.”
Vilana is one of three stakes winners for Retsina, who won a Doomben maiden in nine starts.
A daughter of Redoute’s Choice, Retsina made the best possible start to her broodmare career.
Her daughter Savatiano (Street Cry) was first past the post in Group 1 ATC Canterbury Stakes, only to lose it 12 months later due to a positive swab. She won five Group II’s on the way to banking over $2.3million.
Second foal Athens placed in three of her four starts at Kembla, Gosford and Newcastle. A List Stud outlaid $160,000 to secure the daughter of Medaglia d’Oro (USA) at the 2020 Nationa Broodmare Sale when carrying a filly by Encryption. She was covered by Exceed And Excel last spring.
Retsina made it two stakes winners from her first three foals with the Lonhro filly Athiri.
A dual Listed stakes-winner Athiri banked $811,300 from five wins and seven placings, including the Group II Blue Diamond Prelude, Group III Magic Night Stakes and Group III Kindergarten Stakes, from 22 starts.
Retsina has a 2yo colt by Lonhro named Rakomelo, who finished second to Best Of Bordeaux in the Canonbury Stakes in January.
Retsina has a yearling colt by Street Boss (USA) named Assyrtiko and a weanling filly by Blue Point (IRE).
A daughter of Darley Stud’s $1,125,000 purchase Star Shiraz, Retsina was covered by Blue Point (IRE) last spring.
Hallowed Crown stands at Twin Hills Stud in 2022 for a fee of $11,000.
