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Important update on 1476AMAustralian spring campaign in the works for Castle Rock
Joshua Smith, LOVERACING.NZ News Desk • April 19th, 2026 3:00 pm
Castle Rock winning at Ellerslie on Saturday | Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images)
Trelawney Stud could be in for an exciting spring with their homebred gelding Castle Rock, with a potential Australian campaign on the cards if he continues his current form.
The four-year-old son of Fastnet Rock has been in a purple patch of form this preparation, posting three successive wins after a first-up runner-up effort at Te Rapa in January, going from a maiden to winning in rating 75 grade in less than two months when victorious in the Golf Warehouse 2100 at Ellerslie on Saturday.
He was sent forward early by apprentice jockey Tayla Mitchell to take up the frontrunning role, and he was never headed, kicking clear of his rivals at the top of the straight and held off the late challenge of The Exponent to win by a neck.
Trainer Chad Ormsby was full of praise for Mitchell’s ride.
“She got him pretty positive and allowed him to roll to the front and not be forced there, and didn’t fire him up,” he said. “A credit to her, she got him to switch off and he really just lobbed in front.
“There was not a lot of tempo and there was no one taking him on, so it was just a good example of a front-running ride.”
Ormsby has been impressed with how far Castle Rock has come in the last couple of months and said his owner-breeder needs to take some of the credit for their patient approach.
“He has really come to it this year and a credit to the team at Trelawney, they have put a good system in place for a horse that wasn’t a sales horse,” Ormsby said.
“They had to look after him with a few niggles when he was younger, he came into the system a little bit later and he has just flourished with what we have put in place for him.”
Ormsby is excited about the future with Castle Rock and said he will now go out for a well-deserved spell before returning for a spring campaign, which could include a trip across the Tasman.
“He will go to the paddock now, he is a big horse, he is still very weak,” Ormsby said. “I can see him making top grade next prep and there might be a trip to Australia in the spring.”
Castle Rock hails from a rich international pedigree, being the son of Group Three winner Igraine, who is a daughter of German Group One winner Iota and a half-sister to Group One winners Ito and In Swoop.
Castle Rock has now won three and placed in one of his six starts to date and has earned more than $77,000 in prizemoney.
