Ceolwulf chases rare Group 1 hat-trick in King Charles III Stakes

Joseph Pride’s Ceolwulf can become only the second horse to win the King Charles III Stakes three times when he lines up at Randwick on Saturday. The only other is Winx, who won the race as the George Main Stakes in 2016, 2017 and 2018.

Ceolwulf won the $5 million weight-for-age mile in 2024 and defended the title last year.

He drew barrier one under Chad Schofield, and the field was cut to five on Thursday when Pride Of Jenni was withdrawn with a minor leg infection.

A third straight win would put the Tavistock gelding on a short list of modern horses to win the same Australian Group 1 three years in a row.

Winx did it five times. She won four Cox Plates from 2015 to 2018, four Chipping Nortons and four George Ryders from 2016 to 2019, three Queen Elizabeth Stakes from 2017 to 2019 and her George Main treble. Her fourth Chipping Norton matched Tie The Knot, who won the race every year from 1999 to 2002.

Black Caviar won the Lightning Stakes from 2011 to 2013, breaking the Flemington course record with 55.42 seconds in the third. Makybe Diva won three Melbourne Cups from 2003 to 2005. Chautauqua won the TJ Smith Stakes from 2015 to 2017, and Nature Strip won the same race from 2020 to 2022. The most recent horse to complete a hat-trick in the same Group 1 is Mr Brightside, whose Makybe Diva Stakes treble came a month before Ceolwulf beat him last year.

Overpass shows how hard the third win is. After back-to-back Winterbottoms, he ran second to Libertad last November.

Ceolwulf comes into the King Charles after running third behind Autumn Glow in the 7 Stakes and second to God’s Window in the Epsom. Autumn Glow has won 13 of her 14 starts and has finished ahead of Ceolwulf in all four of their meetings.