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By Ray Hickson

El Castello’s new trainer Joe Pride is strongly considering setting his new recruit for the $10 million Golden Eagle as his spring target.

The Warwick Farm trainer revealed this week that he had been chosen to take over the colt’s training following the departure of Anthony Cummings.

Last year’s Spring Champion Stakes winner didn’t race in the autumn due to injuries that Cummings at the time described as minor and potentially a “hangover” from his 2024 spring.

And it was a spring to remember as he leapt from taking out a Warwick Farm maiden to Group 1 winner in the space of just over 50 days before running fifth in the Victoria Derby.

Group 1 winner El Castello is now with Joe Pride (Pic: Steve Hart)

Pride stressed no plans have been locked in as yet but finds the feature for four-year-olds run at Rosehill on November 1, while not yet a Group 1 race, appealing.

“He’s still a colt, so you’ve got to train him and place him like that,’’ Pride said.

“He’s not here to go through the grades, he’s a Group 1 winner already and we’ve got to improve on his record.

“He’s a bit behind some of my other (spring horses), I have in the back of the mind something like the Eagle.

“He’s a Spring Champion winner but those races aren’t attractive to Australian breeders so he’s got to win something at a mile or below.”

The rising four-year-old is unlikely to be ready to trial this month but Pride said since he’s arrived he’s been impressed with the horse.

“I’m really happy to get him, he’s my style of horse,’’ he said.

“He’s obviously come off the back of a setback but he’s had time to get over that and we’ll see what we can do with him.”

A trial date hasn’t yet been confirmed for dual Group 1 winner Ceolwulf but he’s being set to resume in the Group 1 Winx Stakes (1400m) on August 23.

And Pride said he’ll have the evergreen Private Eye ready to race in the Group 2 Missile Stakes (1200m) run two weeks prior to the Winx.

However, he isn’t committing to running in that race with the rising eight-year-old just yet and may go straight into the first Group 1 of the new season.

Private Eye had a 10 day break after he ran a gallant third in the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap last month.

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