Prague ridden by jockey Daniel Tudhope charged clear of the competition at Newmarket (Picture: Mike Egerton PA Wire)
The Dylan Cunha-trained Galileo colt Prague, bought at a Tattersalls horses-in-training sale for just 10,000 Gns by a stable eimployee of Cunha’s, annihilated a field of four at Newmarket on Friday in a race which South Africans have a fine record in, the Gr 2 Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai Joel Stakes over a mile on the Rowley Mile course. Mike de Kock won this race in course record time with Eagle Mountain in 2008, ridden by Kevin Shea, and also won it with South African-bred Soft Falling Rain in 2013, ridden by Paul Hanagan.
Prague, who was initially trained by Aidan O’Brien but was still unraced when arriving at Cunha’s yard, not only has a potentially lucrative future as a racehorse but also as a sire, being an entire by one of history’s most influential sires, Galileo. Thoroughbred empires have been built around one horse, so to call the Prague story a fairytale would be an understatement.
The horse has further propelled Cunha’s burgeoning career in the UK.
Dylan, whose career highlight in South Africa was winning the Gr 1 Summer Cup with Strategic News while still in his twenties, is now just six wins aways from the 50 win mark in Britain.
Mail Online carried the below story about Prague’s victory.
Dominic King
Prague produces another fairytale run to beat favourites at Newmarket as the £10k colt continues to defy the odds by becoming one of racing’s hottest prospects
Prague stormed to victory in the Dubai Joel Stakes at Newmarket on Friday.
The colt was previously bought for just £10,000 by Amedeo dal Pos last year.
Impressive victories mean Prague’s earnings now stand at a huge £114,455.
No other sport can match racing’s ability to produce fairytales and so it proved once again as a Ballydoyle cast-off catapulted his owner and trainer into the big time.
Prague, whose father is the super sire Galileo, started his career being trained by Aidan O’Brien along with so many other bluebloods but he never raced for him. He was sold for £10,000 last October at the Horses In Training sale, his new owner Amedeo dal Pos investing his savings in the colt.
Dal Pos works in the Newmarket yard of Dylan Cunha. The latter was a trainer in his native South Africa before training to be a commercial pilot; he only returned to a life with horses after Covid struck and he lost his job as the airline for whom he worked went bust.
There was no question anyone other that Cunha was going to train Prague for dal Pos, who comes from Venice but has worked in Newmarket for the past 12 years. They have worked together for the past 18 months and dal Pos reports to work each day at 4am.
Through the summer, they have seen Prague – who made a winning debut at odds of 40/1 at Sandown in April – get stronger and quicker and everything magically came together on a squally afternoon on Newmarket’s Rowley Mile course.
Prague, ridden by Danny Tudhope, powered clear in the Group Two Joel Stakes – a key race over a mile – to beat joint-favourites Task Force and Poker Face by upwards of three-and-a-half lengths and pocket £70,887.50 for connections.
His earnings now stand at £114,455, meaning the initial investment has been returned tenfold.
‘He’s just that good and he’s improved so much,’ gasped Cunha.
‘He’s a big, immature baby and is only going to get better. It’s an incredible story. He is a nice horse and if we could get a few nice horses it would be even better. We have got big decisions to make in the next few days.’
Those options include whether to roll the dice again and pay £70,000 to supplement him for the QIPCO Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot on Champions Day next month or give Prague a break and bring him back next summer to start in The Lockinge Stakes at Newbury.
Either way, he has given everyone connected with him the reason to dream and this is exactly what should happen in racing – dal Pos, whose wife Federica was overjoyed as he brought Prague into the winners’ enclosure, could not believe his faith had been vindicated.
‘I have always had horses in my life,’ said dal Pos, whose care and attention for Prague was highlighted by him also winning the award for the best turned out horse in the four-runner field, as well as the groom’s prize.
‘I ride Prague every day in his work. Everything is going so well. When I saw him starting to go clear, oh, my heart was beating so fast. The most important thing, always, is for my horse to come back safe and well. These horses are a part of my heart.’
