Prague secures Golden Slipper spot

Owners Aquis Farm and Phoenix Thoroughbreds added a second in-form colt to their attack on the  Golden Slipper G1 when Redoute’s Choice’s quality son Prague won the $175,000 ATC Pago Pago S. 1200m G3 at Rosehill on 14 March.

The partnership already has the dual Group-winning colt Farnan (by Not A Single Doubt) in next Saturday’s $3.5 million juvenile feature. Prague & Farnan now share the No. 1 spot in the Order of Entry with Dame Giselle, Hungry Heart, Thermosphere & Mamaragan.

Prague Czechs his ticket for the #GoldenSlipper and wins the Pago Pago @rosehillgardens for @cmaherracing – @eustacedj with that man, @TomMarquand in the saddle! pic.twitter.com/hlvUgLFPtm

— Sky Racing (@SkyRacingAU) March 14, 2020

The Gerald Ryan-trained Kumasi (by Snitzel) completed a father-&-son sires quinella, with I Am Swerving in third place.

A debut winner in January, Prague won the Canonbury S. G3 at his second start and was not disgraced when unplaced in the Skyline S. G2 on 29 February.  Both his co-trainer and jockey believe that the one-week back-up into the Golden Slipper will help, not hinder his chances. 

Jockey Tom Marquand said,“He’s a lovely big horse and he’s not done an awful lot of racing so there is no reason why he shouldn’t handle backing up.”

Co-trainer Ciaron Maher agreed, “He’s a horse that’s got a fair bit more to offer, I think. He’s pretty relaxed, he’s learning his caper each time he steps out and I’d say the back-up would be ideal for him.”

A $1.6 million Magic Millions yearling, Prague was offered by Bhima Thoroughbreds on behalf of his breeder Jonathan Munz’s GSA Bloodstock. He is the second stakeswinner out of Purely Spectacular (by Pins), after Group 1 winner Stratum Star (by Redoute’s Choice’s Golden Slipper-winning son Stratum). Purely Spectacular is now in foal to Snitzel.

Prague is one of 16 million-dollar yearlings-turned-stakeswinners by Redoute’s Choice and the Pago Pago is the 21st stakes win added to the great sire’s record since his death on 26 March last year. 

It’s also the 350th stakes win on Redoute’s Choice’s overall stud record and it came on an appropriate day. Fifty minutes after the Pago Pago, the Melbourne Racing Club presented the 8th running of the Redoute’s Choice S. LR at Caulfield, sponsored this year by Arrowfield.  

That race produced a notable maiden victory for Contract Racing’s home-bred filly River Night (Night of Thunder-River Pearl), from the family of Group 1 winners River Dove and Crown Prosecutor. Trained by Mathew Ellerton & Simon Zahra, River Night is nominated for the $1 million ATC Percy Sykes S. G2 at The Championships. 

Later on the Caulfield card, Bob & Sandra Peters’ home-bred Regal Power won the $5 million All-Star Mile, which has extended Redoute’s Choice’s lead on the Australian Broodmare Sires’ Premiership. Prizemoney earned this season by progeny of Redoute’s Choice mares now totals $21.2 million,  which puts him $2.6 million ahead of his great rival Encosta de Lago. 

Redoute’s Choice has 9 yearlings in next month’s Inglis Easter Sale, among them three fillies and a colt in the Arrowfield draft.