Ceolwulf barking up the right tree in the 2025 Chelmsford Stakes

After controversy in the Group 1 Winx Stakes, Ceolwulf and jockey Chad Schofield will be out to make amends in Saturday’s Group 2 Chelmsford Stakes (1600m) at Randwick.

Critics questioned Schofield’s decision to angle wide on the turn in the Winx, allowing Via Sistina and Aeliana to save ground and fight out the finish. Ceolwulf charged home for fourth, and trainer Joe Pride was quick to back his rider. “It was a first-up run and he was playing the percentages,” Pride said. “Chad admitted it wasn’t ideal, but those are the split-second calls jockeys have to make.”

Pride is excited by what he’s seen since. “It looked like the Ceolwulf of last spring,” he said. “That same galloping action we saw when he won the King Charles III Stakes and the Epsom Handicap. He’s right on track.”

Ceolwulf will start as the dominant favourite from a handy inside draw, but Pride’s stable depth will also be on show with Private Eye in the Tramway Stakes and both Dragonstone and winning machine In Flight in the Concorde Stakes. In Flight has won eight of 18 starts and remains unbeaten in her last three.

“She’s a mare in terrific form,” Pride said. “A bit of rain would have helped her, but she’s going so well she has to be respected.”

Markets for the Chelmsford, Tramway and Concorde Stakes are live now at leading Australian betting sites.