Group 1-winning colt El Castello is on the verge of a long-awaited comeback after spending nearly a year on the sidelines with minor setbacks.

The Castelvecchio son was one of the stars of Sydney’s spring carnival last year, racking up four straight victories including the Spring Champion Stakes, before running a brave fifth in the Victorian Derby (2500m).

Now transferred to trainer Joe Pride, El Castello has pleased in his build-up and is ready to resume in Saturday’s Theo Marks Stakes (1300m) at Rosehill.

“He’s a big boy and he’s got a lot of confidence about him but he’s a serious racehorse,” Pride said. “Even in the Derby, from a bad draw, he ran a very good race.”

While El Castello is still a stallion, Pride plans to train him differently this campaign by focusing on sprint and mile races to boost his stud appeal.

“There’s not a lot of appetite at stud for staying horses, so I’ll try to make more of a sprinter-miler out of him,” Pride said. “If that works, the Golden Eagle could be a perfect race.”

El Castello has been posted at $31 for his return and $26 in futures betting for the $10 million Golden Eagle (1500m) at Randwick in November.