Trainer Joe Pride is confident that Ceolwulf will take a significant step forward from his first-up performance as he prepares for Saturday’s Gr.1 Verry Elleegant Stakes (1600m) at Royal Randwick.
Ceolwulf finished a close fourth behind Chris Waller’s Fangirl, Lindermann, and Via Sistina in the Gr.1 Apollo Stakes (1400m), running the fastest final 600m of the race in 32.63 seconds. Despite being beaten by 1.5 lengths, Pride believes the step up to the mile will bring out the best in his gelding.
“I’m really happy with him and it’s good to get him back to this course and distance. At this stage, it’s produced the two peak runs of his career,” Pride said.
“We just see with horses when they find something that they’re suited by, if you go back there, you often get to another good performance.”
The Verry Elleegant Stakes is shaping up as an Apollo Stakes rematch, with Ceolwulf set to clash with Waller’s top mares Fangirl and Via Sistina along with quality gelding Lindermann.
“I’m looking forward to Saturday, as most people are. It’s going to be a great clash with Chris Waller’s two mares and my bloke. And there are others in there as well, but they look the three main contenders,” Pride said.
Ceolwulf has continued to improve since being gelded, and Pride credits the procedure for his rise in consistency and competitiveness with feature wins including the Gr.1 Epsom Handicap (1600m) and Gr.1 King Charles III Stakes (1600m).
“I think gelding has been the making of him. He’s been ultra-consistent as a gelding and very impressive,” he said.
“He was sort of grinding away there. He didn’t really seem to have that much acceleration or maybe it was just disinterest as a colt. I’m here to make the best racehorse out of any horse that walks into my yard, make them fulfil their potential, and for him, gelding was necessary in that process.”
While the A$5 million Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) remains the long-term target, Pride is keeping his options open regarding the path Ceolwulf will take to get there.
“The trouble with the programming from my perspective is there are two three-week gaps. One after this Verry Elleegant Stakes then another one after March 22, where I still don’t know whether I am going to go to the Ryder (Gr.1, 1500m) or the Ranvet (Gr.1, 2000m) yet,” he said.
“It’s difficult because there are other things that come into play here. His performances are obviously very important, but also if it was forecast to be a very wet track that day, I’d probably be running in the 1500m race.
“I don’t want to have two runs in that six-week period. It’s not enough for him. It’s not enough to be at his peak for the Queen Elizabeth.”
Pride is also weighing up other options, including backing up in the Neville Sellwood (Gr.2, 2000m) after the March 22 run or running in the Doncaster (Gr.1, 1600m) before heading to the Queen Elizabeth.
“Whether or not he backs up and runs in the Neville Sellwood (Gr.2, 2000m) after that March 22 run or whether I run in the Doncaster (Gr.1, 1600m) and back up in the Queen Elizabeth, or just aim at the Doncaster, I’m not sure,” he said.
“Look, the Queen Elizabeth is the more attractive race to me, but I’ve got an open mind as to exactly how we get there.”
Despite not expecting Ceolwulf to be at his absolute peak on Saturday, Pride is confident that his gelding will continue to improve throughout the campaign.
“He won’t be at his peak Saturday. But the third, fourth, and fifth runs, I think you’ll be seeing a fully wound-up horse.”
By top-class sire Tavistock, Ceolwulf was bred by Cambridge Stud owners Brendan and Jo Lindsay and is a out of the Shamardal mare Las Brisas.
Ceolwulf is a graduate of the 2022 New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run Sale, where Pride and part-owner Leighton Howl went to $170,000 to secure him from Riversley Park’s draft.
