John Thompson is happy to be starting El Castello’s latest campaign with a clean slate and remains quietly hopeful the Group 1 winner still has something to offer on the racetrack.
It has been a frustrating journey for connections of the five-year-old, who stamped himself among the better horses of his generation when he won the 2024 Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) and finished fifth in that year’s Victoria Derby (2500m).
But unable to fulfil his early promise as a colt, he was gelded while in work last preparation and the procedure didn’t yield an immediate result at his only subsequent run.
Although having now had the benefit of time in the paddock, Thompson says El Castello is showing some promising signs he wants to be a racehorse again.
“He was gelded in work and for mine, it never works and didn’t,” Thompson said.
“But being spelled, he was put out in a big paddock with three or four other horses and allowed to just be a horse and get back to nature.
“He’s come back, and his attitude is so much better. He’s just a normal horse now. His trials have been good. A couple of top jockeys have ridden him in the trials and at trackwork and all three have said he feels like he’s in great shape and ready to go.”
El Castello resumes in a strong renewal of the Tramway Stakes (1400m) at Randwick on Saturday in which seven of the eight runners are Group 1 winners.
Thompson expects his charge to find the distance short of his best, but is keen to see a positive return to underline what the horse has been showing him on the training track.
“I think he needs to get to a mile, 2000 myself,” he said.
“The 1400 will be too short. He’s fresh and he normally runs well fresh, but I just want to see him run well and he’ll improve off the back of it.”
Thompson is anticipating sharp improvement from Screen Icon in the Furious Stakes (1200m) after she raced handy to the speed and tired when midfield in the Silver Shadow Stakes (1200m) first-up.
He says the filly will be ridden conservatively by new jockey Nash Rawiller this weekend and given the chance to finish off.
“I want her ridden a bit quieter,” Thompson said.
“She’s got a good draw for once on Saturday so she’s going to get a lot better run. It should set up well for her, and we’ll know where we’re at.”
