Cambridge Stud are enjoying a winning roll through the spring with Ceolwulf upsetting the favourites in the $5million Group I King Charles Stakes, while Almanzor (Fr) continues to churn out stakes-winners.
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.
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.
Gezora has displayed an admirable mix of talent and versatility during her brief career, which has now been significantly complimented by a stakes-winning strike.
Bred and raced by our friends at Haras d’Etreham, the daughter of Almanzor finished fourth on debut before breaking her maiden next time out over 1800 metres for trainer Nicolas Le Roch.
The filly then finished runner-up on top of the ground in the G3 Prix de Conde over the same trip at Chantilly before going one better over a mile on heavy going in the G3 Prix des Reservoirs at Deauville.
"The major question mark was how she would handle very soft ground because she only works on sand tracks at home, and she only ever gets on the grass when she goes to the races," Le Roch said.
"She has shown herself to be a very good filly on good going and ground with a little ease in it, so it's great that she handled this so well.
“She just has a lot of quality, and she thoroughly deserves a break now."
Gezora is a daughter of the American-bred Silver Hawk mare Germance, whose record features a victory in the G1 Prix Saint-Alary and was second in the G1 French Oaks.
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