An expensive yearling by a champion sire that goes on to deliver immediate success on the track is always going to be a highly sought-after commodity when he trades in the turf for the stallion barn.
Kia Ora Stud’s decision to stand Prague alongside their Golden Slipper winner Farnan this spring was an easy one given the impeccable credentials of this super handsome son of legendary sire Redoute’s Choice.
The most expensive yearling colt by his sire sold in 2019, Prague lit up the Gold Coast sale ring when selling for $1.6million to be the second highest priced yearling of the sale.
Prague had the perfect mix of superior type and peerless pedigree to make him a sale ring superstar and those same qualities quickly translated into racetrack success when he joined the stable of Ciaron Maher and David Eustace.
Prague immediately stamped himself as one of the best juvenile colts of his generation winning the Group III ATC Pago Pago Stakes (1200m) and Group III ATC Canonbury Stakes (1100m).
Both races have been won by some classy colts over the years that have gone on to be leading sires with the Canonbury won by five subsequent Group I producing sires since 2000 – Snowland, Not a Single Doubt, Bradbury’s Luck, Sebring and Hinchinbrook – and the Pago Pago won by three subsequent Group I producing sires since 2000 – Stratum, All Too Hard and Sidestep.
The highlight of Prague's two year-old season came with his brave half-length second in the Group I ATC Sires Produce Stakes when he raced forward from the extreme outside barrier to be beaten just half a length.
Prague showed the depth of his talent at three finishing a close fourth in two of the best open company sprints in the country, the Group I VRC Newmarket Handicap (1200m) won by Zoutori and the Group I ATC All Aged Stakes (1400m) won by Kolding.
His racing profile is consistent with the three stallions currently leading the 2020/ 2021 Australian General Sires List in Written Tycoon, Not a Single Doubt and I Am Invincible.
"We have seen so many examples of these types of horses before, that show all the hallmarks of a being a Group I winner in everything but their race record," said Kia Ora Stud’s Shane Wright. "He's another one of those horses. We will be treating Prague like a proper Group I horse, because he is a proper Group I performer and should be respected that way."
What Prague brings to the table that sets him apart from so many other young stallions this spring is pedigree.
The sad passing of Redoute’s Choice in 2019 has placed a premium value on his last sons to go to stud given his phenomenal success as a sire of sires with no fewer than 10 of his sire sons becoming the sire of Group I winners.
Prague has a flawless female pedigree with his first two dams being by champion New Zealand based sires Pins and O’Reilly and his dam Purely Spectacular has the perfect record of five foals to race all winners.
His granddam had six foals to race for five winners and his third dam had 10 to race all winners… when breeders talk about ‘running families’ this is exactly what they mean!
Prague is a three-quarter brother to two time Group I winning $2.4million earner Stratum Star and is a half-brother to Group III placed Serenade, who sold for $575,000 at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale this year.
Purely Spectacular claims the great Australian champion mare Emancipation as her third dam, this family proving a prolific source of Black Type performers including Group I winners Virage de Fortune, Railings and more recent stakes-winners such as Night Raid and Amovatio.
His extended pedigree features a double cross of influential speed sires Bletchingly and Lunchtime and when you add in Redoute’s Choice and Last Tycoon via his champion son O’Reilly, the Prague pedigree paints a very familiar picture that most commercial breeders know all too well how to maximise to their advantage.
“Pedigree is a great positive, but you absolutely must have type,” Shane Wright points out.
"From the first moment we saw him as a 2yo we knew we wanted him on our roster and the feedback from our on farm parades is indicative of this.
"He really is a special type of physical as his $1.6million yearling price tag suggests, but one could argue he has even improved.
"He is pure poise and class and the best thing is he will suit just about any mare. He has good size and scope with immense quality, a real eye catcher.”
Prague stands at a fee of $16,500 and is available for on farm inspections, so for enquiries, please contact Shane Wright on +61 401 406 120 or Michael Kirwan on +61 411 171 069.
