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Prague storms clear to claim fairytale Joel Stakes triumph

Bargain-buy Prague provided Dylan Cunha with the biggest success of his training career to date with a dominant display in the Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai Joel Stakes at Newmarket.

Bought for 10,000 guineas out of Aidan O’Brien’s yard as an unraced colt last October, the son of Galileo was a 40/1 winner on his debut for the South African-born trainer at Sandown in the spring and had since proved that effort was no fluke with three sound efforts in defeat.

The four-year-old was perhaps unfortunate not to reel in Holloway Boy after encountering a troubled passage in the Superior Mile at Haydock three weeks ago and was a 100/30 shot to gain compensation at Group Two level on the Rowley Mile.

After initially attempting to settle his mount at the rear of the four-strong field, jockey Danny Tudhope allowed Prague to stride on in front from the halfway stage and it proved an excellent decision, as he was soon bowling along in splendid isolation down the centre of the track.

Poker Face and Task Force, the 2/1 joint-favourites, mounted their challenges closer to the stands’ rail and did their best to keep tabs on the leader racing out of the dip, but Prague was not for catching and he was ultimately good value for the winning margin of just under four lengths.

Cunha said: “That was a great ride because I said to him ‘you know him, he needs to be settled’ but halfway through I thought ‘whoa what are you doing?’.

“Everyone always said to me ‘you’ve only won a Grade One in South Africa’ but I always reply that you still have to be the best horse and jockey on the day, no matter where you are in the world.

“To win this race today means absolutely everything to me.”

Paddy Power inserted Prague into their Queen Elizabeth II Stakes betting at 7/1, although he will need to be added to the race, with Charyn the 13/8 favourite for next month’s Ascot Group One.

Cunha said: “We’ll have to seriously think about supplementing him for the QEII now. We might just wait for the Lockinge (next year). He clearly goes on soft ground but the interesting thing is the jockey says he’s better on better ground, he’s just that good, he’s still improving.

“We got him for 10 grand out of Ballydoyle, he had a leg fracture but since we’ve had him we’ve never missed a day.

“He’s still a big baby, that’s the exciting thing. Danny says when he finally matures he’ll be a really nice horse.

“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.”

Owner Amedeo Dal Pos was understandably emotional and was struggling to speak.

“We know have to think about Ascot because he is improving all the time, race by race,” he said.

“At the moment I’m so excited I can’t think!”

Moore and Bubbling land Rockfel

Bubbling finished with gusto to provide trainer Aidan O’Brien with a fourth victory in the Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai Rockfel Stakes.

A winner on her second start at Galway before finishing third in a Listed event at the Irish Champions Festival at Leopardstown two weeks ago, Bubbling was a well-supported 11/8 favourite to successfully graduate to Group Two level on the Rowley Mile and make it a treble on the card for Ryan Moore.

After being slightly slow into stride, Moore gave the No Nay Never filly time to find her feet during the early stages of the seven-furlong contest while the Victorious Racing-owned pair of Serving With Style and Duty First vied for the lead. However, Bubbling was produced with a well-timed challenge against the far rail inside the final furlong and the further she went, the better she looked, eventually passing the post with two and a quarter lengths in hand over Serving With Style in second.

The previously unbeaten Formal, bidding to give the soon-to-retire Sir Michael Stoute his fourth Rockfel success, was disappointing in fourth.

Paddy Power cut Bubbling to 6/1 from 16/1 for the Fillies’ Mile back at Newmarket on October 11, although her trainer suggested she may not run again this season.

O’Brien watched from home but said: “We were delighted with that. She ran a very good race the last day but things just didn’t work out for her, it was a bit messy. She’s definitely a filly to look forward to for next year. She could be a middle-distance filly but she’ll be fine over a mile also.

“I’m not sure if she’ll run again this year, possibly not, but we’ll see. She obviously handled the soft ground very well anyway, I don’t think any ground is going to bother her.”

Moore told Racing TV: “They didn’t go that mad and when they quickened, she just got a bit lost and unbalanced. She’s still learning and stayed on well up the hill. She’ll be comfortable going a bit further.

“We’re still learning about them (O’Brien’s juvenile fillies), it’s early days. They won’t finish their progressions for a while yet, so we’ll learn and run them and Aidan will work them out.”

Impressive Time Lock goes back-to-back

Time Lock opened her account for the campaign with a successful defence of the Princess Royal Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai Stakes.

Harry Charlton’s Frankel mare was a decisive winner of the Group Three contest 12 months ago, but subsequently disappointed on Qipco British Champions Day at Ascot.

While the five-year-old had failed to add to her tally in three subsequent starts this term, she was placed in the Jockey Club Stakes in May and in the Princess of Wales’s Stakes on her most recent outing in July and she was a 13-8 favourite to rediscover the winning trail following a two-month break.

After being settled in third place for much of the mile and a half contest by Ryan Moore, Time Lock was asked to go about her business racing inside the final two furlongs and soon pulled clear of the pacesetting duo of Place Of Safety and Comic Book.

The result was never in any doubt thereafter, with Moore keeping his mount up to her work in the testing conditions to seal a five-length victory, with Comic Book pipping Place Of Safety to second.

Barry Mahon, Juddmonte’s racing manager, said: “She obviously likes it here, that’s twice she’s won this race now. We’ll talk to the owners whether she will be retired or not. We had half an idea about whether or not to go to Hong Kong for the mile and a half race or not in December, Ryan just said that could be a good option for her depending on what’s in it.

“The owners would be delighted whether we retire her now or give her one more roll of the dice. She’ll retire either way at the end of this year to be bred from and she’s a nice broodmare prospect.”

Juddmonte have two other very smart middle-distance fillies in their ranks in Kalpana and Bluestocking for the rest of the season.

“Kalpana is in very good nick and she goes to Ascot for the Fillies & Mares on Champions Day,” continued Mahon. “Bluestocking is going to do a bit in the morning and if Ralph (Beckett) is happy with everything, then we’ll probably look to supplement her for the Arc on Tuesday.”

Rosemary glory for Sirona

Sirona justified 6/4 favouritism with the minimum of fuss to win the Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai British EBF Rosemary Stakes at Newmarket.

With heavy ground (which was changed to soft after the race) reducing the Listed contest to just a five-runner affair, David Menuisier’s filly was strongly fancied under Ryan Moore to win for the first time this term. Kieran Shoemark grabbed the rail on Spiritual and briefly looked like slipping the field but Moore kept his mount away from that rival and engaged overdrive.

Sirona quickened up well, handling the testing ground with aplomb, to run out a neck winner from the closing Fair Point.

“The ground was a bit of an unknown, to be honest. I didn’t train the filly until this year and she had been handling fast ground well,” said Menuisier. “When I saw heavy this morning, I wasn’t sure but I had a word with Jayne (McGivern, owner) and she said give it a try and we did.

“She really deserves this, she’s been knocking on the door all year, so it was important to win this one. I don’t know if that is it for this year, it will depend on how she is over the next few weeks with the winter coming. I have no plan but she stays in training next year.”

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