Tag Archive for: Dylan Cunha

Cunha in no hurry to map out Prague plan

Dylan Cunha is keen to let the dust settle on the disappointment of Qipco Champions Day with stable star Prague before deciding whether to run again this season.

Bought out of Aidan O’Brien’s yard for 10,000 guineas 12 months ago as an unraced three-year-old, the Galileo colt has enjoyed a rapid rise through the ranks this season, progressing from a 40-1 debut victory at Sandown in June to dominating the Group Two Joel Stakes at Newmarket last month.

That performance prompted connections to pay the required £70,000 to supplement him for the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot on Saturday, but after being positioned wide and racing keenly under Danny Tudhope, Prague weakened rapidly and finished a tailed off 11th of 12 runners.

While downcast by the result, Cunha reports his charge to be none the worse and is confident he will bounce back in due course.

Trainer Dylan Cunha at Newmarket
Trainer Dylan Cunha at Newmarket (Mike Egerton/PA)

“He came back fine and he’s in good shape. It was just one of those things, he was where we didn’t want him in the race and he didn’t really get the run we wanted,” said the South African trainer.

“When you watch the drone footage that ITV did, it’s a disaster. We’ve just got a draw a line through it and move on, he’ll be back.”

Considering future plans, Cunha added: “We’ll take a few days to let things settle down and have a rethink after that.

“There would be nothing left for him in England this year, but we’d have to have a look. We’ve discussed nothing and just said let’s see how he is, give him a few days and see.

“We’re still trying to get over the disappointment because we didn’t expect him to end up where he ended up, but it’s one of those things and we’ll take it on the chin.”



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Cunha favouring QEII test for Newmarket victor Prague

Prague appears increasingly likely to be supplemented for the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes following his Group Two victory at Newmarket on Friday.

Bought out of Aidan O’Brien’s yard for 10,000 guineas as an unraced three-year-old last October, the son of Galileo has made huge strides this season, progressing from a 40-1 debut victory at Sandown to a dominant display in the Joel Stakes over the Rowley Mile.

South African trainer Dylan Cunha reports his stable star to have taken those exertions in his stride and he is now eyeing a tilt at Group One glory on Qipco Champions Day at Ascot.

He said: “He seems to have come out of the race in good form, nice and fresh and looks happy.

“I think he’s most likely to go for the QEII. There’s been a bit of talk about the Breeders’ Cup because he’s got so much gate speed and so much speed, but I think the ground will be right for him in the QEII.

“The confirmations are tomorrow (Tuesday), so we’ll know what stays in and what comes out and we can make a decision after that, but I’d say we’re leaning towards that.”

Prague carries the colours of Cunha’s Italian head lad Amedeo Dal Pos, who will need to stump up the required £70,000 to add him to the QEII field.

Owner of Prague Amedeo Dal Pos
Owner of Prague Amedeo Dal Pos (Mike Egerton/PA)

Cunha added: “I think it will be good for the horse, good for me and good for everyone.

“He’s on the way up while other horses are maybe on the way down at this time of year and we know he will handle soft ground.”

The trainer revealed in the immediate aftermath of Prague’s Newmarket triumph that connections had turned down offers for the colt and that it would take “life-changing money” for him to be sold.

When asked whether he had received further bids since the weekend, he said: “It’s been very quiet, interestingly – I think I scared them off!”



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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.”

Prague was a landmark winner for his connections
Prague was a landmark winner for his connections (Mike Egerton/PA)

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!”



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Prague could prove an incredible purchase for Cunha stable

Dylan Cunha could have an exciting prospect on his hands after Prague powered to an eyecatching debut victory in the Darley British EBF Maiden Stakes at Sandown.

The four-year-old colt is regally-bred, being by Galileo out of Cheveley Park Stakes runner-up Princess Noor, and was originally in training with Aidan O’Brien.

However, he had issues while at Ballydoyle and was snapped up at the sales for just 10,000 guineas by Cunha’s head lad Amedeo Dal Pos last year.

That could prove to be an incredible bargain, judged on the way Prague stormed home by four lengths at 40-1 under Jack Gilligan, claiming a couple of fair scalps in the process.

Runner-up Mutaawid is a full-brother to Mostahdaf, while third-placed favourite Chorus brought solid form into the race, having been a close third behind subsequent Listed winner Diamond Rain at Ascot last time out.

Despite his big starting price in the 10-furlong contest, Cunha told Racing TV: “It wasn’t a surprise, we thought he would run well.

“He’s been working really well, but obviously Coolmore sold him because he has problems, so we haven’t been too hard on him.

“We went to the horses in training sale last year and Amedeo wanted a horse. He took leave and walked around that sale with me and we felt like we were never going to get a horse, we missed 10 horses, and then eventually he found this horse and he was like ‘I’ve got my horse’.

“The budget was very small but he picked him up for 10 grand and it’s just unbelievable. It’s unbelievable to have your head lad in the yard, who works with you, buy a horse and do all the work, I can’t take credit for it.”

Sandown Races – Saturday 15th June
Prague ridden by Jack Gilligan (Zac Goodwin/PA)

A Group One-winning trainer in his native South Africa, Cunha added: “He’s a very difficult horse, he’s a four-year-old colt, a massive horse, but it just shows, we’ve been winning races with five and 10 grand horses, if we can get the type of horses the bigger trainers get, what can we do?

“We’re just not getting them for some reason, I don’t know why.”

A delighted Dal Pos added: “I’m happy because we put a lot of work into this horse. The stable is doing really well and I’m happy because it’s my passion and I dream every day for the horses to win like this.

“He doesn’t have big problems, you just need to give him the time and maybe Coolmore didn’t have the time for waiting, because they have too many. I’m lucky I could pick up this horse and today he proved it.”

Two Tempting and David Egan got first run on a whole host of fast-finishing rivals when just holding on to prevail in the Listen To BetMGM On talkSPORT Handicap over a mile.

It was a fourth win in five outings this term for the five-year-old, who went off as a 12-1 chance in the 15-runner contest and got home by a neck from Classic.

Sandown Races – Saturday 15th June
Two Tempting (left) ridden by jockey David Egan on their way to winning (Zac Goodwin/PA).

Trainer Jonathan Portman said: “This horse never ceases to amaze me. Epsom was fantastic and this was amazing. David gave him a lovely ride from a wide draw and he’s just a very tough horse. He just has a great mind.”

James Ferguson’s Prince Eric completed a four-timer when landing the opening Download The BetMGM App Handicap under William Buick at 9-1.

His three previous wins had come at all-weather tracks but switching to turf proved no problem as he beat Mr Monaco by a length.

Kieran Shoemark claimed a confidence-boosting win on board Spanish Blaze ahead of what promises to be an important week for the young jockey at Royal Ascot.

Most of his big rides in Berkshire will be for John and Thady Gosden, but he enjoyed a nice fillip when teaming up with the in-form Marcus Tregoning yard in the Win Up To £2M With Golden Goals Handicap over seven furlongs.

Tom Marquand enjoyed a late double, with both 6-1 shot Asteverdi and 2-1 favourite Coco Royale claiming convincing victories by significant winning margins.



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Dylan Cunha hoping Zminiature can mix it with the best at Ascot

Dylan Cunha believes his star colt Zminiature has a “lovely chance” of big-race glory when he heads to Royal Ascot.

The two-year-old started his career by claiming the Brocklesby Stakes at Doncaster on the opening day of the new Flat season, before catching the eye with a fast-finishing third in the Orbital Veterinary Services National Stakes at Sandown last week.

Zminiature dwelt at the start of the five-furlong contest, gifting a huge lead to his five rivals with Rhys Clutterbuck’s mount off the bridle during the early stages.

However, he produced a gutsy performance to remain within touching distance before charging home in the final two furlongs to pass Hawaiian, Spirit Dancer and Reposado, finishing only a length and three-quarters behind eventual winner Enchanting Empress.

Cunha admitted six furlongs could prove Zminiature’s ideal trip, but he is set for a third start at five furlongs when stepping up to Group Two territory for the first time.

“He ran a cracking race last week,” Cunha said. “He’s good and he heads to Royal Ascot, he probably gets three entries and we will see which we decide to go for.

“I would say the preferred one is the Norfolk. If it was my choice I would go for the Windsor Castle, but the owners want to go for the bigger pot on the Thursday.

“You can’t blame them, you might never have one this early again so we might as well. He’s paid for himself with his last two runs anyway.”

He added: “He’ll love six furlongs, he’s in good form. He’s as tough as you get, as you saw the other night. I don’t know why he did that (the slow start at Sandown), I have a feeling that he was looking at the filly in the race and ended up a bit far back!

“He’s come out of it in great form and he goes there with a lovely chance. He will be a 20-1 outside shot that shouldn’t be a 20-1 shot.

“That’s pretty much as far as we planned for the whole year, even before the Brocklesby. It was meant to be Ascot (at the start of May), but he got sick so he missed Ascot, but it was meant to be Brocklesby, National Stakes then Ascot. That’s as far as we planned.”

The Newmarket-based South African handler will have another two-year-old at Ascot, with Sensorium set to run in the Windsor Castle on the second day of the Royal festival.

He came home in third on debut at Windsor and Cunha is confident his charge can build on that appearance.

He added: “Sensorium, he might go for the Windsor Castle. He ran a really good race on Saturday. He’s a nice little horse, he will improve from that run as well.”



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Cunha has Royal Ascot ambitions for Zminiature

Dylan Cunha is keen to strike while the iron is hot with Zminiature, with securing a trip to Royal Ascot the objective for the pint-sized Brocklesby hero.

The Newmarket-based handler is a Group One winner in his native South Africa, but is beginning to make his mark in the UK.

Stable star Silver Sword’s exploits last term advertised Cunha’s talents as a trainer, but Zminiature’s triumph in the first two-year-old turf race of the season served notice of his intentions to become a regular visitor to the winner’s enclosure in 2024.

The son of Territories was not for stopping at the conclusion of his Town Moor debut and his trainer plans to fully take advantage of his precociousness, with Chester’s May Festival or Royal Ascot Trials day on the agenda before a possible outing at the royal meeting.

Cunha said: “It was lovely to get the first two-year-old off the mark. He did pretty much as expected, we expected a first four result and he was tough when he needed to be.

“We have a lot more babies who are a lot nicer than him, but there just not as forward as him. He’s forward and he’s honest and really tough. He’s come out of Doncaster even better than he went into it and he’s just one of those early types.

“To win a historic race like the Brocklesby is massive for us, it’s such a meaningful race in the programme.

Zminiature could be seen at Royal Ascot later in the summer
Zminiature could be seen at Royal Ascot later in the summer (Nigel French/PA)

“He’s come out of it well, he’s only tiny – his name is Zminiature because he is that small. I’m not sure if he will go through with it through the year as the other ones catch up to him, but he will definitely be competitive until June or July and then we will know a bit more if he grows a bit.

“We will probably look at something like the Lily Agnes (May 8) or Ascot Trials day (May 1) and get another run into him before hopefully trying to go to Royal Ascot with him.”

The standout performer in Cunha’s growing string is of course Silver Sword who found the scoresheet three times in 2023 and has the Phantom House Stables trainer harbouring big-race ambitions for the new season.

The four-year-old – who carries the same silks as the legendary Secretariat – was last seen finishing second in the Group Three Darley Stakes in a season that saw him strike a telling blow in a competitive handicap during York’s Ebor meeting.

He is gradually seeing his workload increased ahead of a slated reappearance in Ascot’s Paradise Stakes and he will then return to Group-race company at Epsom on Derby day before also having Royal Ascot possibilities later in the summer.

“Silver Sword in good form and he’s just about to have his first real grass gallop soon,” continued Cunha.

“He’s aiming at the mile Listed race at Ascot on May 1 and after that it will be the Diomed Stakes at Epsom on Derby day. Those are his two immediate plans and after that we will either go up in grade or back down depending on what happens.

“Basically if he wins the Diomed he will go up in grade, but if he runs disappointingly he will probably go back into handicaps and we will try to find him something at Royal Ascot or something.”



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Monday Musings: Waiting…

W H Smith said the 2024 version of Horses In Training would be available for dispatching from March 20th, writes Tony Stafford. Normally, I would buy my copy a few days earlier than that, at Cheltenham, but this time I wasn’t there, and rather inconveniently forgot to ask the Editor, who was, to collect one for me.

Age doesn’t help. A few years ago, I bought a copy from the Racing Post shop there and duly left it in the box that was obligingly made available – necessary as I’d not bothered to book a press badge for the week.

WHS said – or rather its web site did, it seems they don’t have any actual people working for them nowadays – that it would take two or three days to arrive. It hasn’t. I’m a bit worried because on the same ordering page, they still have Horses In Training 2023 available at the same price. Few authors can share editor Graham Dench’s smugness that an out-of-date issue is as valuable as the new one.

You might ask why I should be worried that a company with the worldwide reputation of W H Smith to protect could be thought to be that slipshod. Last year, when the wonderful Sir Rupert Mackeson arranged through his sources to get me HIT 2023, it duly arrived from the year before so I’m holding (or not) my breath. They did send the correct one out eventually.

Why am I so het up about it? Well, it’s the start of the flat and I always like to look at which yards have accumulated more horses than before and note the trainers who prefer not to reveal their equine strengths.

In general, the big get bigger, the small struggle and it needs something a little different for a trainer to make an early impact. As George Boughey has shown over the past few years, being youthful as well as able comes into it, and he was up to 165 officially last year. I wonder how many in 2024 – no don’t tell me – I’ll wait until tomorrow or whenever the priceless volume arrives.

When I was introduced by our mutual friend Michelle Fernandes to Dylan Cunha at the April sale in Newmarket last year, I confess I hadn’t heard of him, or if I had, it would have skimmed over my consciousness like so many things do nowadays. But looking at HIT after our chat, I saw he had 17 horses in his yard in Windsor Road, Newmarket.

Dylan is from South Africa and left the land of his birth a couple of years ago to see if he could make it over here. A winning Group 1 trainer back home, he had chanced him arm but with the help of the highly-talented Silver Sword in the yard – an impressive winner of the last race at York’s Ebor meeting last year – he made quite a stir.

Needing a larger premises as the numbers crept up, he did a deal to take over the famed Phantom House Stables of William Jarvis when the last trainer of that revered surname decided to call time – understandably keeping the family home on the premises.

A great friend and contemporary from Harrow school of William Haggas, it must have become in part a frustration to see his pal’s career travelling in the opposite direction, perhaps one day even to the extent that Haggas might make it to champion trainer, but it will need a slowing-down from the Gosdens and Aidan O’Brien, maybe even Roger Varian, to permit that.

The move sorted, Dylan was always active at the sales and by this point he has 50 horses under his care – I’m not sure whether HIT will have caught up with it. Last week I read an article in the admirable South African Monday to Friday racing publication Turf Talk that published an interview with the family man who is doing his home country proud.

It revealed that he was running a two-year-old in the Brocklesby on the opening day of the flat. Traditionally the first juvenile race of the season from its time until 1964 at Lincoln racecourse, it often brings out a nice debutant.

Zminiature, named for his size but clearly not his ability, dealt with his 14 opponents in authoritative style, expertly guided home by Rhys Clutterbuck, nicely settled into his new role as Dylan’s stable jockey. They also had a winner together with 9/1 shot Gogo Yubari the previous afternoon at Lingfield.

Zminiature was the first of his 25 juveniles to be seen out and the win gives him the enviable position of putting down a marker for the rest of them when getting close to running. I do fear for the South African bookmakers who must have been subjected to a bit of a hammering from this well-touted, over there at least, first-day winner.

Another new partnership on the opening day provided an even more significant, and unexpected, result for the talented David Egan, new first rider for Amo Racing. David had spent some of the weeks leading up to Saturday with a few choice rides and wins in the US for Amo’s boss, football agent Kia Joorabchian, and this first UK winner together since the announcement of their new partnership couldn’t have been better timed for the rider.

The five-year-old Mr Professor, a 33/1 shot, was one of seven Amo horses listed in Alice Haynes’ 2023 team, but they, like so many others, have moved on. Likewise, Alice, who has added the spacious Machell Place to her existing yard around the corner at Cadland stables at the foot of Warren Hill in Newmarket as her numbers increase.

Dominic Ffrench Davis has always been a popular man with his fellow trainers and one who has proved he can succeed over jumps and on the flat. This year will be his 31st with a licence and promises to be his best yet.

When the 2023 book came out, it listed just one Amo horse. In the event, 32 individual horses for the mercurial owner won 16 races, double Dominic’s previous best from 14 years ago. His prizemoney haul of £480k was almost five times his existing record.

Victory in the Lincoln already has Dominic above £80k for the year, a figure he has only three times previously exceeded, with a maximum of just over £100k in 2022. Egan meanwhile cannot wait to partner King Of Steel, still in training as a four-year-old with Roger Varian, for whom he has ridden so many winners.

Having finished second to Auguste Rodin in the Derby, King Of Steel won at Royal Ascot and again on Champions Day there, gaining a first Group 1. Where Kevin Stott did not gel with the owner for whatever reason, the ultra-sharp Egan, whose father John is still riding well into his 50’s when he has time between his bloodstock dealing, will be hoping his relationship with Kia lasts rather longer.

The new season also provided a big welcome back for Silvestre de Sousa, after his ban in the ultra-sensitive world of Hong Kong racing. The triple UK champion returned with a winner on his first ride at Newcastle less than a fortnight ago, and he is up to four after Varian’s Charyn, three times toiling last year in the wake of Paddington, took his chance to win the first turf flat race of the year – a Listed affair – under de Sousa.

Races like the Lockinge were immediately mentioned on his likely agenda and de Sousa, who has ridden off 8st3lb over the past year, is one of those rare creatures that can do light when a top trainer needs one. He will be hard to resist in such circumstances and might even make a play at challenging William Buick and Oisin Murphy for the title.

- TS



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Monday Musings: Compensation for Dylan

A friend called yesterday afternoon and asked, “What are you going to write about? Dettori? Coolmore? My choice”, he said, “would be the King and Queen Camilla, how they fully and seamlessly followed the example of the late Queen, treating Royal Ascot with fitting respect.” He could have added, even down to owning a winner and having the joy of the Duke of Kent presenting the trophy to them, writes Tony Stafford.

My preference though, only locked in my mind a few minutes after 6pm yesterday, was one that got away. All week, until Thursday at 10am, a small trainer based in Newmarket was convinced he had in his stable the winner of the Golden Gates Handicap, penultimate race on Saturday.

The unfortunate thing for Dylan Cunha, though, a South African with just under a year behind him as a trainer in the UK, was that the 10-furlong Round Course allows only 16 runners in races as against 20 at a mile-and-a-half.

With a few minutes to go, we spoke, and he said: “It’s not looking great, Johnston and Appleby haven’t declared yet” – but then they did and Dylan’s hopes for Silver Sword and a £50k first prize evaporated in a trice.

He did have yesterday’s one-mile Sunday Series race at Pontefract as back-up, but a ten grand winning dividend hardly makes up for five times that as well as the kind of publicity a win at the meeting would mean to a small stable.

“It’s been very hard to convince UK owners of what we are capable”, he said in an earlier chat before we got to know each other better. “Most of the horses have a South African ownership element at least and all we can do is show on the racecourse that we are up to the job.”

The same goes for Greg Cheyne, 46, ten times a top five rider in South African and twice runner-up there. An experienced rider with more than 2,000 wins to his name and who has moved to the UK to take up a job as pupil assistant to William Haggas.

He’s not the usual pupil assistant, the type sprinkled around Newmarket especially, from “good families” often with ownership and breeding in the family tree, much like Haggas was in his early days and even before.

I’m sure I’ve told this story before. William, now 63, was at school when at the time I used to speak every night to Michael Dickinson who was still riding. He’d come in from his nightly sauna when father Tony’s plans percolated through his head as the steam ebbed away the excess pounds from that spare, long frame.

The Dickinson trinity of dad Tony, mum Monica and son Michael were for a time almost the equivalent of a 70’s version of Willie Mullins and trained, among other very good horses, Silver Buck for William’s mother Christine Feather. The young master Haggas, apart from being a star cricketer that Fred Trueman once declared as a future Yorkshire captain, also kept a close watch on affairs at Gisburn in Lancashire, the original Dickinson base before the move across the county line to Harewood near Harrogate in West Yorkshire.

One evening Michael came on the phone. Always a little hyper, this time he neglected the usual greeting of “now then”, instead launching into a furious tirade saying: “That little so-and-so William Haggas keeps phoning me from Harrow telling me how to train his mother’s horses!”

A Cheltenham Gold Cup and two King Georges at Kempton were to fall to Silver Buck as well as fourth in the Famous Five Michael Dickinson Gold Cup of 1983. His was a long, honourable career which ended with a stable accident when still in his prime the following year.

By that time, Haggas had already moved to Newmarket, as pupil assistant for two years with fellow Old Harrovian Sir Mark Prescott and then four with John Winter before starting training in his own right in 1986. Thirty-seven years on, he is of course one of the acknowledged masters of his craft, working alongside wife Maureen, daughter of Lester Piggott.

Anyway, I digress, Dylan and Greg went north to Pontefract yesterday rather than south-west to Ascot the day before. The market was unequivocal, Silver Sword being backed down to 13/8 favouritism. If you need to know a little of Dylan’s talent, consider this about the Group 1-winning handler during his time in South Africa where he was one of the leading trainers. Silver Sword, an 11 grand December 2021 yearling had two runs in August last year early in Dylan’s UK training career and the result each time was catastrophic, at least for the trainer.

Apprentice Grace McEntee had the misfortune to be on the already gelded grey son of Charm Spirit for whom the comment on debut at Chelmsford was “dwelt, refused to race” and then, at Newbury 18 days later, “slow away, soon hung left, refused to race.”

Now what can you do after that? Well Dylan took him home, gradually instilling confidence so that by October he was ready to show more conventional reaction to training, finishing fifth of 11 as a 250/1 shot at Newmarket before three weeks later getting his first place with a second of 13 at Lingfield. Thus he could be sent away at the end of his juvenile career with reputation restored – to a degree!

Project forward to the February sale at Newmarket and I was having a cup of tea with my pal John Hancock, bloodstock insurer extraordinaire, and another friend, Michelle Fernandez, and knowing I edit a couple of sites every day, Trainers Quotes and From The Stables, she thought I might like to meet this trainer she had got to know. “He might be one for your site, he’s South African.”

I asked her to find out from him before he came over whether he knew Bernard Kantor, a friend who was the joint-founder and long-time boss of Investec Bank, sponsors of the Derby for quite a few years, sharing the podium with Her Majesty and the winners of the great prize. He is now retired.

Dylan Cunha came over and said: “You asked if I knew Bernard Kantor. I trained for him and we had plenty of winners together. In fact, one of his horses probably was most responsible for my coming over here as he had looked like a potential champion but had serious problems. I was so disillusioned I decided to call it a day and came to England a few years ago.”

He agreed he would join the Trainers Quotes team and told me that day about this grey gelding he had that was going to be a big part of his year. By April, Silver Sword had won very easily at Southwell and the plan was the London Gold Cup at Newbury in May. When you have one or two nice horses, you need the luck to hold and a couple of days before the race the horse had a small setback and Newbury was off.

Instead, turning out at Epsom, the gelding was second to a smart John and Thady Gosden performer on an interrupted preparation and that convinced him he would win at Royal Ascot.

Early in the week, when I wondered whether he would get in on his mark of 86 – up 4lb for Epsom – he said, “84 and 83 got in last year, so we should be all right.” History will show he wasn’t.

The best thing about the decision to run over an inadequate trip of a mile was the stiff nature of the Pontefract track, and having broken well from stall two, he soon had the two leaders covered and the punters who had shortened his price during the day never had a moment’s anxiety. Pulled to the outside by Cheyne, he took control just over a furlong out, drew clear and then had time to be eased. The winning margin was just over three lengths under 9st10lb joint top-weight. If they had another two furlongs to go, the margin could probably have been trebled.

Before yesterday’s race, still disappointed about missing Ascot, Dylan told me of a valuable ten-furlong race at his local course that is already on his radar. The Bet365 Handicap over ten furlongs for three-year-olds is a 0-105 that opens day two of the July meeting. That race carries a similar prize to the Golden Gates and he should have no fears of making the cut, especially as he’ll be into the 90’s by then.

I’m thrilled for this hard-working handler, and another winner with Ascot connections also pleased me greatly on Thursday. You won’t find the name Paradise Row on the list of Ascot winners, but part-owner Jonathan Barnett and trainer William Knight were in a box watching the progress of that three-year-old filly when she ran at Chelmsford, a few minutes after 150/1 shot Valiant Force had carried football agent Kia Joorabchian’s colours to victory in the Norfolk Stakes.

Barnett is also a major football agent, and founder and Chairman of ICM Stellar sports, race sponsors every year at Chester.  Rather less ebullient than the boss of Amo Racing, he watched as his filly battled home to a first career success at the Essex track. With a few friends around him and his trainer to cheer her home, it felt like a Royal Ascot winner. I agree with her handler that bigger things await this Zoffany filly as she gains experience, maybe even a run in one of the handicaps at next year’s Royal meeting. After all, dreams in racing can come true!

  • TS


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