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Spring Champion winner might chase another Victoria Derby for the family
El Castello provided one side of his family with a fitting Group 1 win at Randwick last Saturday and he might get the chance to score one for the other side this weekend.
Trainer Anthony Cummings hopes to back-up the son of Castelvecchio in Saturday's $2 million Victoria Derby (2500m) at Flemington.
In 2013, Cummings won the Victoria Derby with Fiveandahalfstar, who had won a 3YO BM72 over 1800m the week prior.
Fiveandahalfstar, who is by Hotel Grand, is a half-brother to El Castello's dam Word Games, a daughter of Fastnet Rock.
Word Games and Fiveandahalfstar are both out of the Snippets mare Cryptic Miss, who was a winner over 2100m and has had nine to race for seven winners.
Cryptic Miss is out of the Grosvenor mare Cross Words, who is a sister to the 1994 Group 1 Sydney Cup (3200m) winner Cross Swords.
El Castello, a $220,000 buy for Cummings out of the Cambridge Stud draft at last year's Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, is the second foal from Word Games, whose only other to race is Hong Kong maiden Regency Happy Star.
He becomes the first Group 1 winner for Arrowfield stallion Castelvecchio, who finished second in the Spring Champion Stakes and is a son of the 2012 Spring Champion Stakes winner Dundeel.