El Castello and Swiftfalcon set for mouthwatering Spring Champion rematch

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The Gloaming Stakes quinella face off again in Saturday’s Randwick Group 1

Doubts may hang over two Sydney features on Saturday as Australia’s isolating black type shambles continues, but connections of El Castello (Castelvecchio) and Swiftfalcon (Exceedance) are bursting with confidence as they resume battle in the Sydney’s undisputed Group 1, the Spring Champion Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m).

Randwick’s meeting will include two races from the NSW “dirty dozen”, the list of events dubbed by local authorities as having black type upgrades, but whose black type status is recognised only by Racing NSW and Racing Australia (RA).

The Invitation (1400m), a $2 million invitational race for fillies and mares, is being called a Group 2 by the two local bodies, while the $1 million Five Diamonds Prelude (1500m) has been deemed by them as a Listed event.

However, these races – and the rest of the NSW 12 – have not had their mooted upgrades approved by the Asian Pattern Committee (APC). In turn, the upgrades are not recognised by the International Grading and Race Planning Advisory Committee (IRPAC) and the Society of International Thoroughbred Auctioneers (SITA).

Like the four Sydney races already run out of the 12 over the past two Saturdays, The Invitation and the Five Diamonds Prelude will take place with winning connections and breeders uncertain as to whether they have earned black type laurels, given RA and RNSW’s designations have no standing outside of Australia.

RA and RNSW have jumped the gun in calling the NSW 12 upgraded, under the APC’s ground rules. While member countries’ national governing bodies may determine which races can be upgraded, the ground rules state they still need approval from the APC before upgrades can be applied – for the following season.

Once the APC’s approval comes, it then informs IRPAC and SITA, and the races are then given their new designations in the International Cataloguing Standards publication “The Blue Book”, which then flows on to black type designations in sales catalogues. 

RA chief executive Paul Eriksson last week told ANZ Bloodstock News the NSW 12 had not even been submitted to the APC, since RA was firm in its belief that it could make final determinations on upgrades.

The Invitation’s supposed status as a Group 2 unequivocally breaches APC ground rules, having been promoted for Saturday from non-black type to second-tier.

Ground rule 3.ii (d) of the APC states in full:

“A race satisfying the requirements for admission to the Pattern must be introduced as a Group 3 race other than in exceptional circumstances. If it is proposed that a race be introduced as a Group 2 or Group 1 race, approval must be sought from the Committee.”

While approval was granted for The Everest (Gr 1, 1200m) and the All-Star Mile (Gr 1, 1600m) to go straight in on the top rung, The Invitation has not been submitted to the APC, and nor has NSW’s other race supposedly promoted from non-black type to Group 2, Newcastle’s The Hunter (1300m).

The APC wrote a sternly worded letter to RA last weekend to voice their displeasure with the current black type situation in Australia, which has not had a pattern committee for six years, and not had a race downgraded for some 12 years. SITA also wrote to RA last Friday explaining its position in not recognising the NSW 12.

How RA and RNSW feel about those communications – and the fact the upgrades for the NSW 12 have no standing internationally – remains unknown.

As of last night, neither the APC or SITA had received any response.

ANZ Bloodstock News on Friday contacted RNSW CEO, and RA board member, Peter V’landys for comment. V’landys replied by text that questions on the matter should be referred to RA CEO Paul Eriksson. When pressed for comment as RNSW CEO in light of the fact the races in question were under RNSW’s jurisdiction, V’landys offered no response.

Eriksson did not respond to ANZ’s requests for comment.

For now, racing and breeding stakeholders are left to assume the RNSW/RA agenda will continue untrammelled, with two more of the 12 set for the next two Saturdays in the Rosehill Cup (Listed, 2000m) – mooted for promotion to stakes grade as a Group 3 – and the “Listed” Five Diamonds (1800m).

SITA chairman Jonathan D’Arcy on Friday expressed his frustration with the ongoing impasse.

“It’s a bit of a stalemate,” he told ANZ. “From my personal point of view, it’s ridiculous that grown men and women can’t sit in a room and discuss something as important as this. Everyone should be able to give a little bit of ground for the betterment of Australia’s industry as it’s seen through the eyes of the world.”

D’Arcy said it was unfortunate Saturday’s two races, like the rest of the NSW 12, would be run without international recognition of their purported black type status. This includes from the southern hemisphere’s largest pedigree provider, Arion.

“Unfortunately that recognition is not going to be there. That’s not to say the recognition won’t come in the future, but at this point in time it won’t be there, until the APC sends it through to SITA and IRPAC,” he said.

At least the Spring Champion Stakes – a Group 1 long before Australia’s pattern committee fell victim to the political morass that has latterly dogged racing in this country – is in no doubt, and an engrossing edition awaits.

El Castello has so far been the shining light amid the first crop of Arrowfield’s stallion Castelvecchio (Dundeel), claiming the past three of his six starts and becoming his sire’s first black type winner in the Gloaming Stakes (Gr 3, 1800m) at Rosehill two weeks ago. Aeliana (Castelvecchio) last week became the second.

The Anthony Cummings-trained El Castello started only fourth-favourite in the Gloaming but the colt had a comfortable 1.82 lengths in hand on the line over the second-placed $2.60 popular elect, Team Hawkes gelding Swiftfalcon (pictured below).

With El Castello at $3.60 and Swiftfalcon $4 on Friday, the market odour from their Gloaming meeting was reversed, but Cummings could find no reason to suggest the placings would be.

“We beat Swiftfalcon fair and square the other day, and it should be a similar race pattern this time,” Cummings told ANZ Bloodstock News.

“Swiftfalcon’s best attribute is his finishing strength after being held up. There doesn’t look to be as much pressure in this race as there was in the Gloaming. He couldn’t give us a start and beat us then, and I don’t know that it’s going to be much different this time.”

However, Swiftfalcon’s senior owner Rupert Legh disagreed.

“Did he have our measure last time? I don’t think so,” he said. “We drew the outside, we had to go back and give El Castello an eight-length start. That’s a big difference.

“It’s Randwick now, not Rosehill, there’s a much bigger straight. At Rosehill that was our concern. But you only need to look at the sectionals to work out who was the best horse on the day.

“If you do your form and look at where were were in the running – let’s just swap barriers and find out who would have won the race.”

El Castello had gate five of 12 last start, to Swiftfalcon’s nine, and has the better of the barriers again in Saturday’s 11-horse field, with gate eight under Josh Parr to Swiftfalcon’s 11 under Jay Ford.

Legh believes he and Team Hawkes are a combination cursed by the barrier gods, but is not convinced the race will pan out the same way

“Swiftfalcon has good gatespeed. Jay will make his mind up after the first 200 metres whether we go forward or back,” Legh said.

“Let’s hope for a little luck and we can slot in with cover in midfield and let the horse do the talking. But I’ve got no doubt, given a reasonable amount of luck in running, I’d expect him to win the race.”

Instead of Randwick, Cummings had contemplated taking El Castello to the Cox Plate (Gr 1, 2040m), where he would have sought to emulate – or go one better – than his sire. Castelvecchio was the highest-rated three-year-old in the world after running a 1.5 length second to Japanese star Lys Gracieux (Heart’s Cry) in the 2019 edition.

However, Cummings was put off by an ominously looming rival trained by his son James at Godolphin – Broadsiding (Too Darn Hot), who was last night a $6.50 fourth-favourite in betting for Saturday’s Moonee Valley feature.

“He was nominated for the Cox Plate. We just took the view that James’s horse was impressive winning the Golden Rose (Gr 1, 1400m). I felt there was not much point going to the Cox Plate to run second to him,” Cummings the elder said.

“Last week, I was wondering whether I did the right thing.

“I had thought we were behind Broadsiding, on education, racecraft and all those things. But far less so now. And that showed in the Gloaming.

“The horse looks really good. He’s had a great couple of weeks since his last run, and goes into this race better again.”

The Spring Champion has brought Cummings two of his 23 Group 1s – back-to-back with Hotel Grand (Grand Lodge) in 2005 and Teranaba (Anabaa) in 2006.

“You need a horse with a touch of brilliance and who’s able to stay,” he said. “You need a quality three-year-old, and we knew we had that in El Castello when he was an autumn two-year-old.

“It takes nice horses to win this race, and that goes to the type of horses I try to buy, that are going to turn up at three and be effective over a range of distances.”

El Castello is out of a mare by Fastnet Rock (Danehill) – a stallion who’s the second-best nick for Castelvecchio’s sire Dundeel (High Chaparral).

And the colt hails from the same family as Cummings’ VRC Derby (Gr 1, 2500m) and The BMW (Gr 1, 2400m) winner Fiveandahalfstar (Hotel Grand). Such bloodlines enhance Cummings’ confidence El Castello will have no trouble running the Spring Champion’s 2000 metres.

Meanwhile, a son of Dundeel himself gives Arrowfield a double strong chance of taking out the race in Henlein, the Anthony and Sam Freedman’s colt who was a $4.20 chance on Friday after making ground for sixth in the Gloaming.

Nathan Doyle’s Harlem Queen (Brutal), one of four fillies in the race, was at $6.50 after her last-start second in the Flight Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m).