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Pierro four-year-old Ceremonious has proved himself to be a model professional and he was rewarded with another deserved victory in his Queensland debut.He has raced so consistently in Melbourne and Sydney for trainer Chris Waller, who recently sent him to his Gold Coast stable and the move proved to be a masterstroke with a first-up victory over 1830 metres at Eagle Farm.Ceremonious kept the leaders within his sights and he produced an irresistible finish in the hands of Ryan Maloney to make it a brace of wins and six placings from 11 appearances.He is the first foal of the Savabeel mare Save The Date and he was knocked down to Waller and Guy Mulcaster for $120,000 when sold on our behalf at the Inglis Ready2Race Sale for A$120,000.We sold her Written Tycoon filly to Forsman Racing, Andrew Williams Bloodstock and Bevan Smith Bloodstock for $460,000 at Karaka last year.Save The Date had a filly by Almanzor last year, a recent colt by Anamoe and has been served by our exciting new stallion Chaldean.

Athabascan confirmed he was on target for a crack at the G1 Melbourne Cup when he produced a superior staying performance to return to winning form at Randwick.The John O’Shea and Tom Charlton-trained son of Almanzor was trimmed to $26 for the Flemington feature following his victory in the G3 St Leger Stakes over 2600 metres.“That (the Cup) has been on our agenda all season, we just needed a positive run to get him back in the game,” O’Shea said.“I think he drops five or six kilos into the Cup and he’ll run a very good race because he’s a good two-miler. We look forward to the first Tuesday in November.”The French-bred six-year-old lobbed along in fourth spot away from the fence before improving wide across the top and he held a sustained gallop to score.Athabascan began his career in France with champion trainer Andre Fabre and was a maiden winner over 2000 metres before placing at stakes level and was subsequently purchased by OTI Racing.He is a half-brother to the G1 Tancred Stakes winner Arapaho with their dam the Dansili mare Alzubra, whose five victories featured the Listed Prix Dahlia.Athabascan has now won on four occasions with previous successes including the G3 Colin Stephen Handicap and the Listed Tattersalls Club Cup and was runner-up in last season’s G1 Sydney Cup.

First Dance capped off the excellent start she has made to her career with a dashing victory at Ellerslie.Our progressive daughter of Zousain had finished a debut fifth at Ruakaka before running second on the all-weather track at Cambridge and went one better in fine style over 1200 metres.Trained at Karaka by Lance Noble, the three-year-old settled midfield on the outer for rider Warren Kennedy before picking up ground across the top.First Dance lengthened stride impressively when asked for a serious effort to trounce her older rivals by 1.3l.She was bred by Whakanui Stud and we went to $280,000 to secure her out of Haunui Farm’s draft at last year’s New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale.Her dam is the Snitzel mare Shadow Dancer who is from the family of the three-time Group 1 winner Sea Siren, whose daughter Warm Heart also claimed a hat-trick of elite titles, and the G1 Robert Sangster Stakes winner Ruthless Dame.

Progressive Almanzor mare Alma Rise added to her record at Moe with a determined second-up performance.The Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman-trained four-year-old was runner-at at Sandown over 1800 metres when opening her spring campaign and the rise to a middle distance proved ideal for the promising stayer.It was her second win from five starts and her three runner-up finishes also includes a second in last season’s Listed VRC St Leger.“She has been very consistent and has always put in a very good performance,” stable representative Will Holmes said.“She has still got a bit of maturing to do so she can go a lot further.”Alma Rise settled three back off the fence before improving wide across the top and she finished stoutly under Luke Nolen to get in the deciding stride in a driving finish.She is raced by her breeder Ed Calvert and is a daughter of the Bertolini mare Fashion Black, who was successful on six occasions. Fashion Black is a half-sister to the dual Group 1 winner and sire Xtravagant whose brother He’s Remarkable was a Group 3 winner and placed at the elite level.

Tavistock’s son Ceolwulf went to another level when he completed a magical Group 1 double at Randwick.

Joseph Pride’s ever-improving four-year-old had romped home in the Epsom Handicap earlier this month and added the King Charles III Stakes in the best possible fashion.

Our homebred did it the hard way after a tardy start and getting well back in the running before rider Chad Schofield urged him forward across the top.

Once into the open, Ceolwulf really cut loose and quickly reeled in crack mare Pride Of Jenni to post a highly impressive victory and his fourth career win with his stake earnings closing in on A$5 million.

“I said to the guys, if it doesn't happen this year, it'll happen next year,” Pride said.

“I've been confident he's on that path toward being one of the best horses around, I think he's already a star.

“We gelded him and I'll probably have some of the owners say, why did you geld him but I think he's a better horse now. The world's his oyster.”

Schofield said Ceolwulf didn’t break cleanly from the barrier and from that point was happy to let the horse find his rhythm.

“He didn’t step that well with me and then he travelled so well on the inside of Fangirl.

“He had so much work to do, but again he just gave me that devastating turn of foot and it’s probably a changing of the guard. He’s the new one, he’s a machine.”

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.

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Vermelho made his first appearance at the races a memorable one at Pukekohe.Despite finishing runner-up in his latest trial, the homebred son of Almanzor was unwanted in the betting and started the outsider in the 11-horse field.Rider Tegan Newman worked to the front aboard the Stephen Ralph-trained colt and he travelled comfortably before slipping clear at the top of the straight.Vermelho was still going boldly 250 metres from home, and he had enough in reserve to make a winning debut over 1400 metres.He is a son of the Manhattan Rain mare Keraton, who boasts a strong European pedigree with her dam Keratiya a G2 Chantilly Prix du Bois winner.Other stakes winners on the pedigree page include Kerasona, Darkness, Rocky Ground and Karasiyra.

Homebred Luberon completed a hugely satisfying weekend for us when she claimed her first black type success with a deserved victory in the G3 Sweynesse Stakes at Rotorua.The daughter of our young stallion Embellish, who had previously placed in the G2 Auckland Guineas and Listed Challenge Stakes, left her weight-for-age rivals struggling in her wake at the end of the 1215 metre contest.The mare followed the outstanding winning lead at Te Rapa of G1 Livamol Classic winner Snazzytavi and El Castello, who took an impressive step toward top-flight targets when he triumphed in the G3 Gloaming Stakes at Rosehill.“She’s probably just fulfilling the promise she’s shown as a three-year-old, a few things went wrong so this is very pleasing,” private trainer Lance Noble said.“She is a great advertisement for Embellish, and it tops off a great weekend for Cambridge Stud.”Luberon is now unbeaten in two appearances this preparation following her gallant first-up win at Ellerslie in Rating 75 company and a rise in class at Rotorua was completed in style.She settled behind the leading pack before improving widest across the top and comfortably slipped into overdrive for Warren Kennedy in the run home to score by a widening 2.8l and her fifth victory from 10 outings.“Since we’ve brought her back to the sprints, I think she’s found her niche,” Kennedy said.“Lance put those cheek pieces on her and it’s done the trick, they went at a good pace up front and she was a little bit fierce for me.“When she saw daylight, she’s picked them up really quickly and easily, it was just a hands and heels ride.”Luberon is a daughter of the unraced Fastnet Rock mare Elegant Achiever, whose pedigree page includes the European Group winners Wunder’s Dream, Grecian Dancer, Muffri’ha, Asymetric and Mill Stream on her pedigree page.Elegant Achiever’s half-brother to Embellish named Ginza was purchased by Te Akau’s David Ellis for $80,000 at Karaka last year.The mare also a two-year-old son of Embellish, So We Go, and the mare is due to foal to Almanzor.

Emerging three-year-old El Castello completed a hat-trick of wins in grand style when he trounced his rivals in the G3 Gloaming Stakes over 1800 metres at Rosehill.The Cambridge Stud-bred son of Dundeel has made impressive progress this preparation with a first-up maiden success at Warwick Farm followed by a Midway win at Randwick before he claimed top honours in the age group feature over 1800 metres.El Castello has now deservedly earned a crack at the G1 Spring Champion Stakes in a fortnight’s time before a possible tilt at the G1 VRC Derby.“Each win that he’s had has been a training gallop toward the Champion Stakes. He’s improved every time and he’ll improve off this,” trainer Anthony Cummings said.“This was the first time he put a field away. He’s usually hanging around waiting for something to challenge him and it was a very good ride.”El Castello kept the leaders within his sights before rounding off strongly in the run home for rider Josh Parr.“He travelled really nicely in a beautiful position and showed a turn of foot that was obviously unparalleled,” he said.“I’m very pleased with him. He’s just taken the natural progression each time I’ve sat on him. I’m really pleased with this horse.“He’s got the perfect temperament for the 2000 metres and then possibly the Derby trip. If we can keep a lid on him, keep him nice and settled pre-race, we’re well and truly in business.”We sold El Castello to Cummings for A$220,000 at last year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale with his dam 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 recently produced another filly by our son of Wootton Bassett before visiting Chaldean.

A strong case can be made for strapping Almanzor mare Lux Libertas to be unbeaten this preparation.The four-year-old won four on the bounce before she finished third at Te Rapa last month after an interrupted passage.The Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott-trained mare was sent out a commanding favourite on her return to the Hamilton course and normal business was resumed.She romped home over 1400 metres to make it five career victories from eight appearances.Lux Libertas drifted well back in the running and was still back on the turn before she lengthened stride impressively to reel in her rivals and again impressed regular rider Warren Kennedy, who believes the best is yet to come.“She’s continuing to learn her craft every time she steps out,” he said.“She cruised up and burst through then and then pricked her ears, even though she’s not the finished product just yet.”Lux Libertas was bred by Graham and Helen-Gaye Bax, whose daughter Kylie manages the interest of part-owner Goldeye Trust, with Lib Petagna.“She’s a big girl and always looks beautiful,” Kylie Bax said.“Lance and Andrew have done a wonderful job with her and I do think she will go over more ground.”Lux Libertas is a daughter of the late stakes-performed Makfi mare Miss Fi, who was a half-sister to the dual Listed winner Peaceful.