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Joe Pride‘s multiple Group 1 champ Ceolwulf gets his turn to return to winning form as the short second-up favourite in the Chelmsford Stakes 2025 as part of a stacked Randwick card this weekend in Sydney.

While Saturday’s Group 1 feature runs at The Valley with the sprinters doing battle in the Moir Stakes, Randwick is host to plenty of important spring lead-up races including the Group 2 $300,000 Chelmsford Stakes (1600m).

A mile race won by many of the country’s best middle-distance gallopers over the years including most famously the mighty Winx, the Chelmsford has attracted a typically top-class field again this season.

Sitting as firm favourite in the latest Chelmsford Stakes betting markets at $2 through Ladbrokes.com.au, Ceolwulf is a two-time Group 1 winner over the Randwick mile, and the five-year-old son of Tavistock is down in grade after kicking off his latest campaign in the Winx Stakes here on August 23.

Fresh he was solid running fourth on a very Heavy track beaten under two and a half lengths by the ultra-impressive winner Via Sistina.

He will now relish firmer going, getting up to his preferred distance, and the drop back to Group 2 level making him a hard to beat favourite in the Chelmsford.

Ceolwulf was also one of the winners barrier-wise for the Chelmsford drawing gate two and he’ll again be ridden by Chad Schofield who won this race back in 2023 aboard Navajo Peak.

The danger occupying the second line of betting at $5 and the only other single-figure fancy showing the dominance with the punters of Ceolwulf is the resuming Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott trained Sir Delius.

Sir Delius is one of a host of Chelmsford runners also among the 120 official Melbourne Cup 2025 nominations which closed on Tuesday.

He’s one of the best in early Melbourne Cup betting and is also being kept safe for his return over a shorter distance this weekend.

The classy European import has plenty of upside having won four of his seven starts to date including his Australian debut in the winter when blitzing his rivals on a Heavy (8) Doomben track in the Group 3 Chairman’s Handicap (2000m) back in May.

He’s proven fresh and has looked very sharp in two subsequent Sydney trials ahead of his return.

No doubting the mile will be short of his best as he’s yet to win over anything less than 2000m, but he oozes class and could pull out an Arapaho!

Speaking of Bjorn Baker‘s Group 1 Sydney Cup champion, Arapaho is also in the Chelmsford Stakes field this weekend looking an underrated player at $10 second-up.

He was enormous in the Winx Stakes crossing third in the unsuitably short event with the evergreen nine-year-old presenting fitter and ready to surprise again from gate four with Rachel King retaining the ride.

Another Melbourne Cup bound stayer kicking off in the Chelmsford from the Waterhouse/Bott yard at $10 is Vauban, a former Willie Mullins trained Irish import who had a solid first prep with his new stable during the autumn.

The now eight-year-old son of Galiway has contested the past two editions of the Melbourne Cup including his somewhat disappointing 11th last year but is a genuine contender again for his third attempt now stabled down under.

He won the Group 3 Sky High Stakes (2000m) beating Arapaho in mid-May before a Group 1 Tancred Stakes third over the mile and a half.

Things came undone for him in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes then back to 2000m, which didn’t suit his prep, but he can atone this time in perhaps starting on Saturday with a good top four showing.

The Chris Waller trained Lindermann ($11) out to improve on a second last in the Winx, his stablemate Land Legend ($16) racing second-up with James McDonald booked to ride, and Baker’s other acceptor Robusto ($14) with the fitness edge are among the other top hopes in the mix chasing an upset.

The 2025 Chelmsford Stakes is set to run as Randwick Race 7 at 3:20pm (AEST).

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