Ceolwulf has been forced to work overtime to claim his first win of this year’s autumn carnival by the barest of margins in the Neville Sellwood Stakes at Rosehill.
The winner of last spring’s Group 1 Epsom Handicap and King Charles III Stakes, Ceolwulf is on a path towards the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) at Randwick on Saturday week and Tuesday’s 2000m Group 2 race on heavy ground was his final planned lead-up to that event.
Sent out the online bookmakers $1.50 favourite, Ceolwulf pressed forward early under jockey Chad Schofield before settling just behind the leaders.
Just Fine kept rallying in the home straight after leading but Ceolwulf was able to get his head down when it mattered to defeat Just Fine by a nose, with Our Gold Hope another nose away third.
Trainer Joe Pride was keen to get Schofield’s assessment immediately after the victory but said it was important that Ceolwulf got a good hit-out over the 2000m to be ready for his main autumn target.
“It wasn’t really the result that counted today,” Pride said.
“It’s easy to say after a race, but it was more about the performance.
“He presented like he was going to win by a couple of lengths but he didn’t do that. It will be interesting to get Chad’s thoughts, because I think he’s got a really good understanding of this horse.
“That was only his second go on a heavy track, and while he went really well on it in the Derby when he was younger, maybe he would prefer something a little bit firmer than that now.”
Pride noted Ceolwulf did have to carry topweight of 59.5kg on ‘testing ground’ and was going up 500m from his previous start over 1500m when he was narrowly beaten in the Group 1 George Ryder Stakes.
“And that’s why I wanted to run him over 2000m today because I do believe the majority of my horses, and this horse as well, their second run they have over 2000m they’re going to be better,” Pride said.
“And he needs to be better. He’ll have to be a lot better next week.”
Pride said he would give Ceolwulf a couple of good gallops between now and the Queen Elizabeth.
Ceolwulf was the $6 second favourite with betting sites for the Queen Elizabeth Stakes after Tuesday’s performance, with superstar mare Via Sistina the $1.70 favourite.
Schofield described Ceolwulf’s win as ‘tradesman-like’ and said he had to be decisive early to put the gelding into the race from a ‘sticky draw’.
“We were giving some decent horses weight and I thought the only way that we can get beat is if we give him too much to do,” Schofield said.
“After he jumped cleanly I let him stride forward. We beat the draw and then relaxed in the one-one. He ended up getting out nice and early and it was tradesman-like.”
Schofield is convinced Ceolwulf is now better-suited racing on firmer footing than the Heavy (8) conditions he faced on Tuesday.
“I know he ran second in a Derby on a bottomless track but he’s definitely more dynamic on top of the ground,” he said.
