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Third stakes winner for Twin Hills Stud Hallowed Crown
In stepping up to stakes level for the first time on Saturday in the Gai Waterhouse Classic (Listed, 1200m), Lillemore (4 m ex Polar Success by Success Express) became the third stakes winner for Twin Hills Stud-based sire Hallowed Crown (Street Sense) who will stand for $11,000 (inc GST) again this spring.
The victory denied the returning trainer Lee Freedman his first winner from his Gold Coast stable with Intrepidacious (Shooting To Win) beaten a nose.
The John O'Shea-trained Lillemor, who is now unbeaten from two runs this campaign and showed great tenacity to score after racing wide.
Raced by a group that includes Twin Palms Stud, Lillemore has now won seven of her 17 career starts and becomes the second Listed scorer and third stakes winner overall for Hallowed Crown whose stakes winners are headed by Group 1 winner Colette.
She becomes the first stakes winner out of Golden Slipper Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Polar Success (Success Express) who has produced seven other winners.
Her victory gave Ben Thompson a race-to-race feature double after he took out the Eye Liner Stakes (Listed, 1100m) aboard Snitch (Lope De Vega) for Tony Gollan.
“Ben rode him beautifully and everything opened up nicely,” Gollan said.
“I just wanted this horse to have a little bit of room as he is a horse who doesn’t like tight runs.
“This is my third Eye Liner win and I know how hard it is and how good a race it is.
“I’m from Toowoomba originally, just west of here, and these sort of provincial sprints are always so hard to win.
“They are up-tempo races and you need that horse that can get the right run on the day, I was fortunate to have the horse that got that right run.
“I was very keen on him today and he has repaid that faith.”