The sky’s the limit for Joe Pride‘s outstanding Epsom Handicap 2024 winner Ceolwulf who charged home over the famous Randwick mile to salute for the punters with an imposing victory ahead of the spring majors.

The Kiwi-bred Tavistock four-year-old was given a perfectly timed ride by the in-form Chad Schofield in this year’s time-honoured Group 1 $1.5 million Epsom Handicap (1600m) to salute for favourite backers in style.

For Pride it was his fourth Group 1 win over the track and trip with the top trainer now having two Epsom Handicap and two Doncaster Mile trophies in his growing cabinet.

Pride, best known for his sprinters including last year’s The Everest champion Think About It, has never had a miler of the class of Ceolwulf who could be the next big thing this season.

“That was fantastic,” he told Sky Thoroughbred Central post-win.

“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 just going to keep getting better with age and he’s so exciting. That was a real buzz.”

The Epsom Handicap champ further franked the form out of the Group 3 Kingston Town Stakes (2000m) improving on his lead-up second there to Eliyass to win the day’s feature race in Sydney.

Eliyass meanwhile ran a credible third as the beaten favourite in Melbourne behind the Chris Waller-trained Via Sistina and Buckaroo in the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes (2000m) on Saturday.

Waller also took out the Group 1 The Metropolitan (2400m) with another Kingston Town Stakes graduate, Land Legend (6th), proving that race a strong form line this year.

Major Beel took up front running in this year’s Epsom Handicap while Schofield was happy to sit back on Ceolwulf keeping his composure when the eventual winner was a little slow out the gates.

Schofield let Ceolwulf find his stride and the make-up of the race pan out before pulling to the outside up the rise to begin his run in earnest.

He came right down the outside on the best horse in the field and Ceolwulf ($4F) proved his class back in distance over the final 100m with the wind in his sails drawing clear for a commanding win.

“It’s a good thrill. I was very confident today but an Epsom is a really hard race to win, you need everything to go right. I didn’t feel everything quite went perfectly, I wasn’t in a great spot,” the now five-time Group 1 winning jockey said.

“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 54kg 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.”

In a brave second beaten 1.17 lengths off a wide run was the James Cummings-trained Tom Kitten ($12) who made an early move and was gallant late trying to go with the monster winner with Royal Patronage ($6.50) a close third for the Waterhouse/Bott stable.

Still untapped it could be scary scenes for future rivals of Ceolwulf who has far from reached his full potential.

“He’s got a great engine,” Pride said.

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

“He’ll run a little bit further than that but no need to toy with that too much at the moment.

“We’ll enjoy that one today and think about where we go next.”

Pride said they would keep options open but hadn’t ruled out a quick back-up into the lucrative Group 2 $2 million Hill Stakes (1900m) next weekend.

“Yet to discover that (what his best distance is),” Pride said.

“He could well back up in the Hill Stakes next week but I haven’t ruled out, you could come back here for the King Charles.

“There’s a lot of options. Let’s just sit on it for now and enjoy that.”

The Group 1 $5 million King Charles III Stakes (1600m) is held at Randwick on The Everest Day, October 19.

Futures 2024 King Charles III Stakes odds at Ladbrokes.com.au have Ceolwulf at $8 to win.

Click here for the full markets.

2024 Epsom Handicap Results & Finishing Order

Table Credit: Racing Australia. 

IMAGINE WHAT YOU COULD BE BUYING INSTEAD.

For free and confidential support call 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au.