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By Ray Hickson

Trainer Richard Litt is preparing to be taken on the ride of his life with outstanding colt Castelvecchio.

Trainer Richard Litt (Pic: bradleyphotos.com.au)

Litt only trained his first winner a couple of years ago and the two-year-old is the only horse he’s had contest a Group 1 race but he now has one of the hottest properties in racing after the colt’s dominant win in the Group 1 $500,000 Moet & Chandon Champagne Stakes (1600m).

If the 29-year-old was feeling the pressure pre-race he didn’t show it but what he did show is the excitement that comes with the knowledge Castelvecchio was always going to come into his own at three and beyond.

“He’ll improve out of sight, he has a lot of maturing to do,’’ Litt said.

“He’s only a small horse, he’ll have a break and he will come back a lot bigger and stronger. I think he is a very, very good horse. I think he could be, hopefully, the next big thing.’’

Castelvecchio won the inaugural $2m Inglis Millennium over 1200m at Warwick Farm back in February but Litt resisted the temptation to target the Golden Slipper.

Instead he aimed the colt at the Group 1 Inglis Sires’ (1400m) and Saturday’s Champagne confident he would be more effective as the distances increased.

Despite defeat in the Sires', where he ran a game third, that decision has been vindicated and now Litt has to consider what races to target in the spring – with the knowledge he's long said the horse would be an ideal Australian Derby hope in 2020.

Interestingly, his older half-sister Maid Of Heaven won the Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) earlier in the season.

“I’ll have to go home and take it all in, I don’t even know what those races are (to target) because I’ve never had this problem before,’’ Litt said.

“It’s all been planned. It was very simple, we didn’t go to the Slipper and we set ourselves a target and this was it.

“He’s a handful, it took us five people to saddle him the other day. Today we were down to four. It’s incredible, it’s huge. It’s a feeling I’ve never had and great for my staff and for everyone that has supported us all these years.’’

Castelvecchio wins the Group 1 Champagne Stakes at Royal Randwick

It was a perfect ride from Josh Parr, he claimed his first ever Group 1 in the Champagne in 2010, who landed Castelvecchio in the first half of the field and in the clear as the pack broke up.

When he balanced up in the straight the youngster let down with his trademark big finish and reeled in the favourite Loving Gaby and early leader Lady Lupino, and made it an arrogant win breaking away late.

“I didn’t want to be giving away a ridiculous margin turning for home,’’ Parr said.

“Especially considering I thought Loving Gaby could be right up on the speed and she was.

"The writing has been on the wall for some time that the Champagne Stakes was his mark, the 1600m at Randwick.

“The fact he took up a midfield position and travelled as well there as he has in his life is a testament of what’s to come.’’

Check out the replays and results for All Aged Stakes Day at Royal Randwick