Saturday double for Castelvecchio

El Castello (purple cap) is one of Castelvecchio's 4 winners from only 12 Australian runners so far this season. (PHOTO: Sportpix)

A pair of promising first-crop 3YOs produced a handy Saturday double for Castelvecchio, and one of them has major targets this Spring.

That’s El Castello (ex Word Games by Fastnet Rock), already stakes-placed as a 2YO behind Broadsiding and now the winner of his last two starts, a Super Maiden at Warwick Farm and today’s Midway Handicap over 1600 metres at Randwick. 

Although the colt’s winning margin was a slim half-length, his jockey Tim Clark was confident he would take the race out.

“He was always going to win the race. He got there and clocked off a little bit. But he’s a really promising three-year-old who is going to make his presence felt in these staying contests.”

Trainer Anthony Cummings confirmed that El Castello will go to the Gloaming S. G3 at Rosehill on 12 October and then tackle the Spring Champion S. G1 two weeks later at Randwick. 

Later in the afternoon, the filly Torvecchio (ex Tori’s Gift by Statue Of Liberty) showed plenty of grit to edge out Kananaskis in a 1300-metre maiden at Echuca.

Another Castelvecchio filly, Comanche Miss (ex Ocean Challenger by Rubiton), an excellent runner-up in last weekend’s VRC Exford Plate LR for Arrowfield & trainer Phillip Stokes, will head to the Edward Manifold S. G2 at Flemington on 5 October. 

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