Ceolwulf’s first-up run in the Group 1 Winx Stakes was not without controversy, but trainer Joe Pride has kept faith in both horse and jockey Chad Schofield as they look to rebound at Randwick.
Schofield came under fire on social media for steering wide on Ceolwulf around the home bend, while Via Sistina and Aeliana cut the corner and filled the quinella. Ceolwulf stormed home for fourth, beaten 2-1/2 lengths. Pride conceded Schofield might have chosen differently in hindsight but defended the rider’s decision-making.
“It was a first-up run and he was playing the percentages,” Pride said. “Normally coming out wide on heavy tracks without getting kick back is the thing to do. It was a split second decision. Chad was the first one to put his hand up and say it was the wrong one. That’s racing, we move on and here we are second-up.”
From an inside draw on Saturday, Ceolwulf is expected to get a more economical run when he contests the Group 2 Chelmsford Stakes (1600m), where he has been installed as the even money favourite.
Pride says the galloper’s return was full of merit and showed glimpses of the form that saw him capture the Group 1 King Charles III Stakes and Epsom Handicap last spring. “It looked like the Ceolwulf of last spring,” Pride said. “He’s got a really distinctive galloping action and it just looked exactly like it did when he won those majors.”
The trainer will also saddle up multiple stakes contenders at Randwick, including Private Eye in the Tramway Stakes (1400m) and both Dragonstone and In Flight in the Group 3 Concorde Stakes. In Flight has been a revelation, winning her last three including a Group 3 at Caulfield in July.
“I would have liked to see a wet track for In Flight because that really would have brought her into it,” Pride said. “She’s a very competitive mare. She’s won her last three and she doesn’t know how to get beaten at the moment, so she’s an interesting one to be taking to the races on Saturday.”
Betting markets for the Chelmsford Stakes, Tramway Stakes and Concorde Stakes are available now through Australia’s leading betting sites.
