6 Oct 2024Joseph Pride believes he’s barely scratched the surface with Ceolwulf, our homebred son of the late Tavistock.
The Warwick Farm trainer has done an outstanding job with the patiently handled four-year-old who blitzed his rivals in the G1 Epsom Handicap at Randwick.
“That was fantastic, we knew he had the right sort of profile coming into it and to see him let down like that is very, very satisfying,” Pride said.
“He’s just a good horse on the rise. He’s going to keep getting better with age and he’s so exciting. That was a real buzz.
“He’s got a great engine. I see it every time he runs, the way he recovers from races and gallops on the training track. He’s an amazing athlete, and as I say, the best is yet to come.
“We’re yet to discover what his best distance is. He could well back up in the Hill Stakes (G2, 1900m) next week, but I haven’t ruled out coming back here for the King Charles (G1, 1600m). There’s a lot of options. Let’s just sit on it for now and enjoy this win.”
Ceolwulf settled back of midfield before picking up ground across the top and he scorched home under Chad Schofield to justify his favouritism with ease.
“I thought I’d be much closer than where I was and the pace was quite muddling, but one good aspect of that was that I was a bit wide and able to flow,” Schofield said.
“I was really blown away by his turn of foot. I know he had 54kg, but he put the race away very quickly. As soon as I clicked him up, I was confident I was the winner immediately. He had a blistering turn of foot.”
The four-year-old has now won three of his 13 starts and also has Group 1 placings from last season in the Australian Derby and Rosehill Guineas to his credit.
Ceolwulf was sold on our behalf by Sam and Hana Beatson’s Riversley Park at New Zealand Bloodstock’s Ready to Run Sale where he was secured by Pride for $170,000.
He is a son of the unraced Shamardal mare Las Brisas, whose Almanzor filly sold to agent John Foote for A$240,000 at this year’s Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale.
The mare recently produced a colt by Sword Of State and has been served by our highly-credentialled newcomer Chaldean.
Las Brisas’ half-sister Nantyglo was a Listed winner and from the family of four-time Hong Kong elite level winner Wellington, G1 Irish Oaks heroine Moonstone and the G1 Prix Saint-Alary winner Cerulean Sky.