Joe Pride is drawing inspiration from a rival galloper as he begins to map out a spring carnival campaign for his own stable star, Ceolwulf.
Watching Tony Gollan’s Antino dominate the Hollindale Stakes (1800m) and Doomben Cup (2000m) during the Queensland winter has given Pride plenty to think about. Antino’s stellar performances have propelled him into Cox Plate contention, currently sitting on the second line of betting behind Via Sistina for the Cox Plate.
Pride sees a similar developmental pattern in his rising five-year-old, Ceolwulf.
“I was watching Antino this preparation and he has just found this level of consistency and I remember him when he was at the same age as Ceolwulf. He was a bit inconsistent,” Pride said.
“He’d have a good prep then a bad prep. These horses just need to fully mature and when they do, that’s when they really find a vein of form where they always run well.”
While Antino is two years older, Ceolwulf is following a promising path. Last spring, the Pride-trained galloper made a strong impact by winning both the Epsom Handicap (1600m) and the King Charles III Stakes (1600m).
Though Ceolwulf didn’t win during the autumn, Pride isn’t discouraged by those performances.
“He didn’t run any bad races in the autumn but he paid the price for having won a couple of Group Ones,” Pride said.
“There were no easy races for him. All of a sudden he was against the big boys all the time. But he is a top shelf horse.
“He is up around 530 to 540 (kilos) now so he will race heavier again this prep.
“He is coming along nicely. I haven’t got a trial date for him yet but he will resume in the Winx Stakes.”
The first official trials are scheduled for Warwick Farm on July 25, with Ceolwulf set to resume in the Group 1 Winx Stakes (1400m) at Randwick on August 23.
Pride also revealed this week that he has acquired 2024 Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) winner El Castello, who hasn’t raced since finishing fifth in the Victoria Derby (2500m) last year.
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