Billed as a showdown between bold frontrunner Pride Of Jenni and Sydney star Fangirl, the King Charles III Stakes has instead proven a happy hunting ground for rising star Ceolwulf.
The last-start Epsom Handicap winner turned giant-killer at Randwick, doing what many horses before him have been unable to by mowing down Pride Of Jenni in Saturday’s $5 million King Charles III Stakes.
Pride, who prepares a medium-sized team at Warwick Farm, said winning a race of that magnitude and beating the major stables to do so was satisfying.
“It’s the little mother and father shop on the corner beats the big supermarkets,” Pride said.
“I’m just really grateful to come across a horse like this. The world’s his oyster.
“I always thought he had something very special about him. I can’t say I have ever trained one that looks like this horse, can run like this horse or pulls up like this horse.
“He’s got a huge, big stride on him and obviously a massive engine.”
Ceolwulf provided a high point in a rollercoaster afternoon for his trainer, who earlier won the Angst Stakes with Lekvarte before his day nosedived when 2023 Everest winner Think About It collapsed during the Sydney Stakes after suffering a bleeding attack.
Most on course feared the worst but miraculously, Think About It got back to his feet a short time later and Pride confirmed he was through the worst.
“Thankfully, he’s well. He is past the danger period now, so I’ll get him home and take good care of him,” Pride said.
“I doubt we’ll see him race again but the main thing is he’s still got all four feet on the ground and he was calm and relaxed once he got back on the float.”
Pride didn’t want to commit to his next move with Ceolwulf but said a seven-day back-up into the 2024 Cox Plate was unlikely, although the 2025 version was on his radar.
“They can only go so far in one preparation,” Pride said.
“I’m not making any commitment right here, but I’d hate to send this horse to the races and have him not perform. There is so much to come with this horse.
“I’ve always wanted to win the Cox Plate and he’s my Cox Plate horse. I’ll wait a year. And he might win it for the next couple of years after that.”
Ceolwulf ($6.50) unleashed a sizzling finishing burst to down Pride Of Jenni ($2.70 fav) by three-quarters of a length with My Oberon running a mighty race for third, another short neck away.
Winning jockey Chad Schofield said he came into the race bullish despite the calibre of opposition.
“I was very confident in my horse. We know the stamina he’s got and we saw the turn of foot he has last start in the Epsom,” Schofield said.
“It’s very rare for a horse to have both of those things, and he’s just a breath-taking horse. He’s improving all the time too, which is scary.”
Fangirl ($2.90) finished sixth, beaten four lengths, jockey James Mcdonald saying she struggled to adapt to the speed of the race.
“I was proud of her efforts. She tried really hard. She just found that tempo very quick,” McDonald said.