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Lands Saturday's Pago Pago at Rosehill.
The Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained Prague (2 c Redoute's Choice - Purely Spectacular by Pins) left it late, but successfully booked his spot in the Golden Slipper Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) at Rosehill next week with a decisive victory in the Pago Pago (Gr 3, 1200m) at the track on Saturday.
In winning the race the son of Redoute's Choice (Danehill) made amends for this last start flop in the Skyline Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) by beating Kumasi (Snitzel) by half a length.
Maher believes Prague is open to further improvement and has him ready to peak when he returns to Rosehill in seven days.
"He's a very relaxed horse and he's still learning his craft," Maher said.
"You saw last start off a slow pace he just over-raced a little bit and Tom really suits him, he's a good, strong rider. Hopefully he will stick with him for next week.
"We thought in the run in, if we had to back up it would work because he had his runs well spaced early and then you tighten them up and hopefully peak him for next week," Maher said.
"He is still quite progressive. There's a bit more in the tank and I think the back up will be ideal."
Maher and Eustace already have Magic Millions 2YO Classic (RL, 1200m) winner Away Game (Snitzel) and Muntaseera (I Am Invincible) safely in the Slipper field while Cellsabeel (Hinchinbrook) and Rathlin (Fastnet Rock) are borderline.
"We thought in the run in, if we had to back up it would work because he had his runs well spaced early and then you tighten them up and hopefully peak him for next week," Maher said.
"He is still quite progressive. There's a bit more in the tank and I think the back up will be ideal."
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 his daughters having produced 37 stakes winners headed by 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 ten lots catalogued at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale which gets underway on April 7.
