Trainer Dylan Cunha achieved a UK training career-best success in the one mile Group 2 Joel Stakes at Newmarket on Friday, with yard favourite Prague.
The four-year-old was bought out of Aidan O'Brien's yard for 10,000 guineas in October 2023 by Cunha's head lad Amedeo Dal Pos and has rewarded the stable for their patience with exciting days already this season.
Second in the Group 3 Superior Mile Stakes at Haydock Park in early September, the son of Galileo was looking to get off the mark in Group company on just his fifth career start. Keen, but restrained by jockey Danny Tudhope in the early stages, Prague was allowed to make headway once switched right with four furlongs to run, powering forward to take the lead from joint-favourite Poker Face. He ran out a convincing winner, with three-and-three-quarter lengths separating the pair.
In an interview with ITV Racing, winning trainer Cunha said: "He's still a big baby. The jockey (Danny Tudhope) says he's still going to mature and be a really nice horse.
"We've got big decisions to make in the next few days. At this stage, there's two options. We could give him a break and bring him back for the Lockinge next year or spend all the money they've won today and supplement him for Ascot. That's what I'd like to do.
"We've had lots of offers for him, even after he won his first race at Sandown by six lengths, I had six or seven phone calls but he's not for sale unless it's life-changing money. He's a once-in-a-lifetime horse."
