Cover image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
Written by Paul Vettise
Colette (Hallowed Crown) emphasised her versatility with a hollow first-up victory in the G2 Apollo S. on a wet Randwick track against a competitive lineup of top-level performers.
The James Cummings-trained Colette made impressive progress last autumn to post a maiden victory at Kembla Grange and three runs later claimed the G3 Adrian Knox S. and then won the G1 Australian Oaks.
She returned to win the Golden Eagle over 1600 metres in the spring and off the back of a lead-up trial proved too sharp in Saturday’s Yulong Apollo S. on a soft track, but she’s no one-trick pony as the mare has also proved effective on top of the ground.
Ridden by the very much in-form Rachel King, who has struck up a successful partnership with Godolphin, Colette defied her double figure odds with a towering display.
King said the diminutive mare, who has the G1 Queen Elizabeth S. and the G1 Sydney Cup on her radar, revelled in her work and produced a performance that augured well for her autumn campaign.
“She doesn’t think she’s a little horse and she thinks that she’s bigger and tougher than them and has got that huge heart. It was pretty comfortable and she travelled well on that track.
“She doesn’t think she’s a little horse and she thinks that she’s bigger and tougher than them and has got that huge heart." - Rachel King
“When she got to the top of the rise I knew I had plenty of horse underneath me. To do that without the blinkers on was great and she beat a really good field and she’s got an amazing will to win.”
The 4-year-old settled in behind the front-runner Prince Fawaz (Fastnet Rock) and peeled out to stride to the front 200 metres from home and put the issue beyond doubt.
International pedigree
Colette is a half-sister to the Listed Chairman’s S. winner Metastasio (Street Cry {Ire}) and they are out of the unraced Libretto (Ire) (Singspiel {Ire}).
She is a half-sister to the two-time Group 1 winner and sire Wareed (Ire) and G2 Woodbine EP Taylor S. winner Truly A Dream (Ire) (Darshaan {GB}) and the family of the G1 Irish Oaks winner Moonstone (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}).
Rachel King pats Colette after winning the G2 Apollo S. | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
Kolding (NZ) (Ocean Park {NZ}), also a former Golden Eagle winner, had finished second when resuming in the G2 Expressway S. behind Savatiano (Street Cry {Ire}) and again had to play second fiddle to a Godolphin representative.
His star stablemate Verry Elleegant {NZ) (Zed {NZ}) turned in an top effort for third, making ground relentlessly after being tardy away from the gates.
Another Chris Waller-trained runner Funstar (Adelaide {Ire}) was fourth ahead of Mugatoo (Ire) (Henrythenavigator {Ire}), who was doing his best work late.
