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Prague's Canterbury Stakes victory provided the late Redoute's Choice with his 171st stakes winner.
Ciaron Maher and David Eustace's domination of this year's juvenile racing continued on Saturday when they took out a brace of two-year-old races at Randwick headed by Prague's (2 c ex Purely Spectacular by Pins) victory in the Canterbury Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m).
Ridden by visiting British jockey Tom Marquand, Prague was settled on the outside of the leader and as the field rounded the turn. Into the straight he kicked away from his rivals to beat Global Quest (More Than Ready) by a length and three quarters.
"I was a little bit anxious before the race because I thought he might have just had that X-factor," Maher said.
"With the shades on and the way he had come on in the coat from his first-up run, there was a bit of timing about him.
"He will take a lot from that today. He actually pinned the ears back and started to work out what it is all about.
"He is a beautiful colt with an extremely bright future."
Prague's triumph came the race after stablemate Away Game (Snitzel) followed up her impressive Magic Millions 2YO Classic (RL, 1200m) win with an equally dominant display in the Widden Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m) and in the process securing her berth in the Golden Slipper Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) on March 21. The filly, who was also ridden by Marquand, lead home a trifecta for Arrowfield Stud-based sire Snitzel (Redoute's Choice).
Purchased for a whopping $1.6 million by Phoenix Thoroughbreds and Aquis Farms at last year's Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale from the Bhima Thoroughbreds draft, Prague is out of Pins (Snippets) mare Purely Spectacular making the colt a half-brother to dual Group 1 winner and now Widden Stud-based stallion Stratum Star (Stratum) and Group 3-placed Serenade (Star Witness).
Purely Spectacular herself is a sister Listed winner and Group 1-placed Raid and since foaling Prague she slipped to Redoute's Choice's (Danehill) son Snitzel in 2017 and 2018, but has most recently tested positive to the three-time champion sire having been covered last September.
The late Waikato Stud sire Pins is carving a reputation for being a top-class broodmare sire, with Prague being stakes winner number 35 for the stallion in this field. His daughters have produced four Group 1 winners, including Prague's half-brother Stratum Star, Savvy Coup (Savabeel), Brambles (Savabeel) and D B Pin (Darci Brahma).
Arrowfield's late breed-shaping stallion Redoute's Choice has one filly catalogued at the upcoming Inglis Premier Yearling Sale, which gets underway in Melbourne on March 1, while he has ten lots catalogued at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale which gets underway on April 7.
The win also handed Maher and Eustace their 15th two-year-old win of the season and they look to have a strong hand in the Golden Slipper with this pair heading to the race and they will be joined by stablemate Cellsabeel (Hinchinbrook) in the Group 1.
