Dylan Cunha aimed big from day one in the U.K and just two years later he is beginning to make regular appearances at the big tracks like Sandown (above) and at Goodwood today (picture: via meta)
Dylan Cunha has made dramatic leaps in a short space of time in his career as a trainer in the U.K., as is well documented, and he was given unexpected support by two fellow South Africans at the Glorious Goodwood meeting this week, where he had a runner today (Friday).’
Founding Turf Talk editor Charl Pretorius (left) was there as the winner of the 2024 L’Ormarins King’s Plate Writers Award.
Ex-pat SA owner and breeder Brian Finch (right) is presently the Chairman of Epsom Racecourse, a Trustee of the National Horseracing Museum and is a Racecourse Committee Director at Sandown Park and he was also there.
Dylan started out with three horses about two years ago and has now had 38 wins in all and has 50 horses, a meteoric rise in the toughest of environments.
He started this week in fine style with a winner at Windsor on Monday and then a double at Yarmouth on Tuesday.
So there were high hopes he could get a winner at one of England’s most celebrated meetings today.
His runner today was Prague, a Galileo colt formerly trained by Aidan O’Brien and owned by the illustrious Coolmore partnership of John Magnier , Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith and Waterberg.
The Barronstown Stud-bred colt did not race for O’Brien and was purchased by an owner of Cunha’s for a mere 10,000 Gns at a Tattersalls Autumn In Training Sale last year.
Cunha must have received further attention from racing pundits and owners and breeders, and perhaps from the great Aidan O’Brien himself, when he won first time out with this colt.
It was no ordinary race either, it was a Darley British EBF Maiden Stakes over one mile and two furlongs at the major racecourse Sandown on June 15 and the first prize was £20,616.
Prague won it by four lengths at odds of 40/1!
The win drew the attention of At The Races and Irishracing.com, who penned the following respective articles about the eyecatching victory:
AT THE RACES ARTICLE ABOUT CUNHA’S WIN WITH O’BRIEN OUTCAST
IRISHRACING.COM ARTICLE ABOUT PRAGUE’S VICTORY
Prague is owned by Amedeo Dal Pos.
Second time out he ran fourth in a Listed race.
Today the colt, whose official rating is 103, ran in the class 2 Regent Seven Seas Cruises Bentinck Conditions Stakes over a mile and a furlong.
He jumped well and led under Jack Gilligan and quickened well two furlongs out to look a possible winner.
Howwever, he was swamped late and in the end only managed fifth place, beaten 2,25 lengths.
He could have a good future ahead of him in big handicaps.
