Ceolwulf (NZ) Electrifying in Epsom

Just six weeks out from the 2024 edition of the Ready to Run Sale at Karaka, the world’s best sale of two-year-olds was credited with another new Group One winner courtesy of a stunning performance by Ceolwulf (NZ) (Tavistock) in Saturday’s $1.5m TAB Epsom Handicap (1600m) at Randwick.

The super-talented son of Tavistock was offered by Riversley Park at the 2022 Ready to Run Sale, where trainer Joe Pride bought him for $170,000. Ceolwulf’s 13-start career has now produced three wins, five placings and more than A$1.69m.

Karaka graduates have a proud record in the time-honoured Epsom Handicap in recent years, with Kolding (NZ) (Ocean Park) winning it in 2019 and Probabeel (NZ) (Savabeel) following suit a year later. Ceolwulf has now made it three of the last six.

The Epsom may not have seemed the most likely of spring targets for Ceolwulf, who rose to prominence over longer distances in the autumn with second placings in the Group One Rosehill Guineas (2000m) and Australian Derby (2400m). But Pride saw real sharpness and class in the four-year-old this time in, and his faith in the horse was richly repaid by a spectacular come-from-behind performance.

A highly talented field of 20 lined up in this year’s Epsom, which is a famously difficult race to win. A slow start left Ceolwulf with an even steeper mountain to climb, settling a long way off the pace in a strung-out field.

But jockey Chad Schofield brought Ceolwulf to the outside at the home turn and let him rip down the Randwick straight. With a brilliant turn of foot, Ceolwulf charged home out wide on the track and burst to the lead inside the final 100 metres. He crossed the finish line just over a length in front of the well-performed Tom Kitten (Harry Angel) and Royal Patronage (Wootton Bassett).

“I was very confident today, but an Epsom is a really hard race to win,” Schofield said. “You need everything to go right. I didn’t feel everything quite went perfectly. I wasn’t in a great spot. I thought I’d be much closer than where I was and the pace was quite muddling, but one good aspect of that was that I was a bit wide and able to flow.

“I was really blown away by his turn of foot. I know he had 54 kilograms, but he put the race away very quickly. As soon as I clicked him up, I was confident I was the winner immediately. He had a blistering turn of foot.

“I thought in the parade ring he looked a million dollars. I’m a bit surprised how immature he is still – he’s still quite a young, boisterous horse. But, wow, he’s got a serious engine.”

Pride is now spoiled for choice when it comes to races to target with Ceolwulf through the rest of the season.

“That was fantastic,” he said. “We knew he had the right sort of profile coming into it, and to see him let down like that, it’s very, very satisfying. He’s just a good horse on the rise. He’s going to keep getting better with age and he’s so exciting. That was a real buzz.

“He’s got a great engine. I see it every time he runs, the way he recovers from races and gallops on the training track. He’s an amazing athlete, and as I say, the best is yet to come.

“We’re yet to discover what his best distance is. He could well back up in the Hill Stakes (Group Two, 1900m) next week, but I haven’t ruled out coming back here for the King Charles (Group One, 1600m). There’s a lot of options. Let’s just sit on it for now and enjoy this win.”

Ceolwulf joined a Group One-winning Ready to Run Sale roll of honour that also features the likes of Golden Sixty (Medaglia d’Oro), Lucky Sweynesse (NZ) (Sweynesse), Warmonger (NZ) (War Decree), Mr Brightside (NZ) (Bullbars) and Pulchritudinous (NZ) (Wrote).

The 2024 Ready to Run Sale will take place at Karaka on 20 and 21 November, with selling starting at 11am each day. Breeze Ups will be held at Te Rapa Racecourse on 21 and 22 October.

Vendor	Riversley Park Ltd
Purchaser	Mr JW Pride (New South Wales)
Breeding	Tavistock – Las Brisas
Sale	Lot 146, 2022 Ready to Run Sale, $170,000
Bred by	B J Lindsay MNZM & Mrs J E A Lindsay