In-form Kieran Shoemark lined up for first ride on Dylan Cunha's stable star Prague on Saturday

Dylan Cunha's stable star Prague will make his seasonal reappearance in Saturday's Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Criterion Stakes at York before a possible return to the Knavesmire in the City of York Stakes in August.

The five-year-old was bought for 10,000gns from Coolmore in 2023 and won the Group 2 Joel Stakes before finishing down the field in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot when last seen in October.

The son of Galileo will compete over seven furlongs for the first time in the York Group 3 having raced over a mile or further in all his six starts. 

Cunha said: "He’s in great form – as well as I’ve ever seen him. He’s training really well. The drop to seven furlongs is because he’s quite keen in his races – we want to teach him to settle. We’ve been going a mile and a mile and a quarter with him, but his dam was a six-furlong Group 3 winner. 

“We’re thinking he might just be that keen because we might be going too far with him. So it’s an experiment. If he finishes in the first two, he’ll go to the City of York Stakes. If it’s too short, he’ll run in the Strensall Stakes. He’s definitely going to York twice in the next two months."

The Criterion market is headed by Surrey Stakes winner Formal and Lake Forest, who finished fourth behind Docklands in the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot last week.

Other possible rivals for Prague include the John and Thady Gosden-trained Audience, who will bid to score for the first time since winning the Lennox Stakes last July, and Ed Bethell's Paborus, who has won four of his six starts and will be partnered by William Buick at York. 

Kieran Shoemark, who rode two winners at the royal meeting, is booked for Prague as Jim Crowley is now required for Shadwell's Alyanaabi.

Cunha said: “Jim would have ridden him, but he’s booked for Shadwell. Kieran then messaged for the ride and I said, ‘Absolutely’. He rides quite a bit for us and is a great replacement for Jim. 

"Prague will jump out, go forward and he’ll be sitting in the first three or four and hopefully run a huge race.”

Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Criterion Stakes (2.25 York, Saturday)

bet 365: 2 Lake Forest, 11-4 Formal, 9-2 Audience, 6 Paborus, 7 Alyanaabi, 8 Prague, 9 bar.

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