Caravaggio (Scat Daddy) is “very sore” after his slow starting sixth-place run in the G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville Sunday, connections reported Monday.
“Caravaggio was shod before the G1 July Cup and the day before he was just a little bit footy,” said O'Brien. “We changed the style of the shoe that he was wearing to one with a bit of rubber between the foot and the shoe itself. He was 100% when we put them on.”
Regarding Sunday's performance, O'Brien said, “He just didn't travel the way he can travel, and he ran again in those shoes on Sunday. Ryan [Moore] came back in and said he's just not getting any traction. The rearing up in the stalls is something we can sort, but when he came out Ryan said he's changing and not feeling comfortable. He pulled out very sore, so there is obviously an issue with the shoes that he is wearing. It's a bit like a fella running in a sprint with spikes on him and the fella alongside running with slippers on. He is a front-wheel-drive horse–he works from the front. We think there is an issue there and especially when he was so sore.”
O'Brien accepts Caravaggio could now be a doubt for the inaugural running of Australia's The Everest–the richest turf race in the world–at Randwick on Oct. 14.
He added, “Obviously it's very hard to say he could go to Australia after his last two runs. We will see how he is in a week to 10 days, and if we can get him back to the way we know he can move he could come back here [at The Curragh] over five furlongs [G2 Flying Five S.] on Irish Champions Weekend. Then he could go on to Ascot.”
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