A Cox Plate tilt at The Valley in Melbourne or a crack at back-to-back wins in the King Charles III Stakes in Sydney.
They are races Joe Pride is yet to decide between for Ceolwulf’s (NZ) (Tavistock) major target as the trainer begins the dual G1 winner’s build-up towards his spring campaign later this year.
The G1 King Charles III Stakes is over 1600m at Randwick in October and is held a week before the Cox Plate at The Valley, which is over 2040m.
Ceolwulf returned to Pride’s stables from a spell on Monday, with the rising five-year-old’s spring program yet to be locked in.
“I haven’t nailed it down yet. I’ve got a lot of options,” Pride said.
“The two main things, and it’s one or the other, it’s either going to be the King Charles again or the Cox Plate. And I’m going to have to make a call at some point of the preparation, obviously, because one’s a week before the other.
“He certainly won’t be running in both and I’ve just got to make a decision, so we’ll see how he is in the early part of the prep.”
Ceolwulf was a brilliant winner of both the Epsom Handicap and King Charles III Stakes over the Randwick 1600m last spring at G1 level and Pride resisted the temptation then to press on to Melbourne.
Heading into Ceolwulf’s autumn campaign this year, Pride indicated he wanted to see the son of Tavistock run ‘a really good race’ in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes to convince him the gelding was just as good at 2000m as he is at 1600m.
Ceolwulf came from last after drawing the outside barrier when finishing fifth behind current Cox Plate champ Via Sistina in the G1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) at Randwick in April at the end of his autumn campaign and Pride believes that didn’t provide a ‘definitive guide’ on his capabilities at that distance at the elite level.
“We just drew so badly in that Queen Elizabeth this year and it just made it hard,” Pride said.
“I think he ran a great race, but it just made it hard to get a definitive guide.
“I’m relaxed either way. If he’s not that good at 2000 metres it doesn’t bother me at all, I just want to know so that I can put him in the right race.
“I’m not here to prove a point, I’m just here to get the best out of this horse.
“And you’ve got to say that so far in his life his two best runs are at a mile, so that might be him. He might be a miler.
“They’re both about the same prizemoney. And look, I’d rather win a Cox Plate with him because he hasn’t won one and I haven’t won one, but it’s not about me. It’s about the horse.”
Ceolwulf narrowly won the Neville Selwood Stakes over 2000m the start before the Queen Elizabeth during his autumn campaign.
While Pride is yet to determine Ceolwulf’s exact spring path, the trainer said the plan will be to kick off the talented galloper’s campaign in the G1 Winx Stakes (1400m) on August 23.
Pride, meanwhile, is looking forward to getting another of his stable stars back to the races on Saturday, with Private Eye set to resume in the G1 Kingsford-Smith Cup (1300m) in Brisbane.
Private Eye was given a comfortable barrier trial on a Heavy surface on his home track on Monday, his third trial of this preparation, and Pride believes the gelding is ‘spot on’ for a first-up assignment.
“And he’s a very good horse fresh,” Pride said.
“He has run some mighty races fresh.