Trainer Joe Pride is satisfied with Ceolwulf’s lead-up to his first run of the spring at Randwick.

The gelding resumes in Saturday’s Winx Stakes (1400m), with the track expected to remain heavy following recent rain. Randwick was rated a Heavy 10 on Tuesday, while a meeting earlier this month was abandoned due to downpours.

Pride said Ceolwulf’s previous success in the wet provided confidence.
“It won’t be a problem for him,” Pride said.
“He ran a place in the (Australian) Derby, and he won a race on the wet last prep. It’s not ideal to be first-up on heavy, but you can’t wait forever.”

The five-year-old claimed last year’s Group 1 Epsom Handicap and King Charles III Stakes, both at Randwick.

While Pride has not locked in a program, another tilt at the King Charles III Stakes is likely, with Melbourne only a possibility later in the campaign.
“One thing he is, he’s an athlete,” Pride said.