Trainer Joe Pride is upbeat about the chances of Ceolwulf becoming his latest winner of a feature Randwick mile race, having decided a Group 1 Epsom Handicap start is the right option for the promising galloper at this stage of his spring preparation.
Pride has won the Group 1 Epsom Handicap (1600m) over the famed Randwick mile with Private Eye in 2021 while he has also won the Group 1 Doncaster Mile twice, with Sacred Choice in 2011 and Vision And Power in 2009.
Pride had a couple of Group 1 options for Ceolwulf this Saturday at Randwick and decided dropping the four-year-old gelding back in distance for the $1.5 million Epsom was the way to go, rather than stepping him up in trip in the $750,000 The Metropolitan (2400m).
Chad Schofield has been booked to ride Ceolwulf in the Epsom.
Ceolwulf was a convincing winner over 1500m at Rosehill second-up this campaign on August 31 before running a solid second to in-form import Eliyass in the Group 3 Kingston Town Stakes over 2000m last start.
“I could have easily gone to The Metrop with him but I thought The Metrop just left me with less options,” Pride said.
“(The Metropolitan) is less prize money, which is only part of the consideration, but after the Metrop, if I ran him in that race where do I go then?
“Whereas with this option I can be at Rosehill a week later and run him in the Hill Stakes.
“I thought the Epsom left more options open, and I think he’s quite sharp this preparation.”
The $2 million Group 2 Hill Stakes is over 1900m seven days after the Epsom, and Pride has the idea of running Ceolwulf in both.
“And that might nearly do us (for the preparation),” he said.
“I have still got him paid up for the Melbourne races. I know with this horse people will be saying ‘Oh, Joe hasn’t got a plan’. I don’t need to have a plan. I’ve got a fit horse who I’m just still finding out about him.”
Pride said Ceolwulf has come through his Kingston Town Stakes run in ‘super’ fashion heading towards his next assignment on Saturday.
“The horse is in great shape, I’m really happy with him,” he said.
Ceolwulf ran in four Group 1 races as an autumn three-year-old earlier this year, finishing second twice in the Rosehill Guineas and ATC Australian Derby.
Pride has made no secret of the fact he’s a fan of Ceolwulf and believes he has plenty of potential, and the trainer believes the gelding will be hard to beat in the Epsom.
“Yeah, he’ll run well,” the trainer said.
“You’re not getting an unbiased answer here, I’m in love with the horse. I think he’s a star.”
Along with the Epsom and The Metropolitan, Saturday’s Randwick program also features the Group 1 Flight Stakes (1600m) for three-year-old fillies.