4 Sep 2024Anthony Cummings was expecting a bold first-up showing from El Castello at Warwick Farm and he wasn’t disappointed.
Our home-bred son of Castelvecchio opened his winning account in style over 1400 metres for rider Joshua Parr to firm up plans for a return to black type racing.
The three-year-old sat close to the pace and proved too good in the run home, despite conceding all his rivals weight under 61.5kg.
He showed his potential last season when he followed up a debut placing with a runner-up finish in the Listed Fernhill Mile behind subsequent dual Group 1 winner Broadsiding.
Cummings now has El Castello on a path toward the G1 Spring Champion Stakes to be run at Randwick over 2000 metres on October 26.
"He's got a couple of benchmark races he will go through on his way to the Gloaming and we'll get into stakes grade there," he said.
"The Gloaming and then into the Spring Champion Stakes and we will see what Melbourne might hold for him after that."
We sold El Castella to Cummings for A$220,000 at last year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale and he is out of the Fastnet Rock mare Word Games.
She is a half-sister to Fiveandahalfstar, who the Randwick trainer prepared to claim Group 1 titles in the BMW Stakes and the VRC Derby.
Word Games produced a half-sister by Almanzor to El Castello last season and is due to foal again to our son of Wootton Bassett.