By Tom Frary
It was billed by many as the race of the current Royal meeting and Friday's G1 Commonwealth Cup did not disappoint, with Caravaggio (Scat Daddy) getting the better of the Godolphin pair of Harry Angel (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) and Blue Point (Ire) (Shamardal) close home to provide the middle part of a group 1 treble for Ballydoyle this week. Hardening into 5-6 favouritism despite the healthy respect shown to his opponents, Susan Magnier's unbeaten grey who had given notice that he was back when powering to success in Naas's G3 Lacken S. gave a moment of concern when rearing in the stalls before racing mid-pack as Harry Angel served it up on the front end. It took until the last 100 yards for last year's G1 Phoenix S. and G2 Coventry S. winner to get to the royal blue contingent, but at the line he had 3/4 of a length to spare with Harry Angel, who heroically held off Blue Point by a half length. “He got into a good rhythm in the race and they were two very good colts leading him, so I had to wake him up to do it and it is hard to make up ground here today for whatever reason,” jockey Ryan Moore explained. “It's the first time he's been asked a serious question and he was a bit unsure at first. Although they made him work, he picked them up well in the end. I think that was a fairly exceptional race and he beat two very good horses who weren't stopping. I think there is some more improvement in him.”
Friday, Royal Ascot, Britain
COMMONWEALTH CUP-G1, £400,000, ASC, 6-23, 3yo, 6fT, 1:13.49, g/f.
1–CARAVAGGIO, 129, c, 3, by Scat Daddy
1st Dam: Mekko Hokte (SW-US), by Holy Bull
2nd Dam: Aerosilver, by Relaunch
3rd Dam: Silver in Flight, by Silver Series
O-Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith; B-Windmill Manor Farms Inc & Petaluma Bloodstock (KY); T-Aidan O'Brien; J-Ryan Moore. £226,840. Lifetime Record: G1SW-Ire, 6-6-0-0, $659,513. *1/2 to My Jen (Fusaichi Pegasus), GSW-US, $203,000. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.[bullet ad=”irt-shell”][bullet ad=”kbif-g1″][bullet ad=”us-bred-ky-bred”]2–Harry Angel (Ire), 129, c, 3, Dark Angel (Ire)–Beatrix Potter (Ire), by Cadeaux Genereux (GB). (£44,000 Ylg '15 DNPRM). O-Godolphin; B-CBS Bloodstock (IRE); T-Clive Cox. £86,000.
3–Blue Point (Ire), 129, c, 3, Shamardal–Scarlett Rose (GB), by Royal Applause (GB). (110,000gns Wlg '14 TATFOA; 200,000gns Ylg '15 TATOCT). O-Godolphin; B-Oak Lodge Bloodstock (IRE); T-Charlie Appleby. £43,040.
Margins: 3/4, HF, 3. Odds: 0.80, 2.75, 4.50.
Also Ran: Bound for Nowhere, Mr Scarlet (GB), Tis Marvellous (GB), Straight Right (Fr), Visionary (Ire), Intelligence Cross, Legendary Lunch (Ire), Victory Angel (Ire), Yalta (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
Whatever has been thrown at Caravaggio, he has dealt with with an admirable professionalism alongside his obvious class. Contending with rain-eased going when landing the Listed Marble Hill S. at The Curragh last May, he had those conditions again when also overcoming a draw which placed him away from the pace in this meeting's G2 Coventry S. the following month. His 2-year-old farewell was a premature one, as after his stroll in the G1 Phoenix S. at The Curragh in August he was ruled out of the G1 Middle Park S. with a setback and as he was prepared for his sophomore season there was talk of a Guineas bid which only went away in the lead-up to the Poule d'Essai des Poulains. Set fair for a sprinting route which began with the G3 Lacken S. at Naas May 21, Caravaggio beat the Coventry placegetter Psychedelic Funk by the same margin that he had at last year's Royal meeting which showed he was at least where he was in 2016.
With Harry Angel blazing the trail up ahead, the much-vaunted pride of Ballydoyle was able to take his time in mid-division and move into the race just as the pace was becoming too hard to sustain. Despite Harry Angel having done too much early on, Caravaggio had to fight to get alongside the talented Clive Cox representative and the determined Blue Point with a half furlong left and it was only in the final drag to the line that he asserted his superiority. Interestingly, the Lacken third Mr Scarlet (GB) (Dandy Man {Ire}) was 6 1/4 lengths behind Caravaggio this time, having been 6 1/2 behind in the Lacken. As if this success in such a strong renewal of this new contest was not enough, Aidan O'Brien was suggesting there was plenty to come. “We were treating it as a second stage race, as he had a lovely race at Naas when he won last time,” he said. “He was racing against three-year-olds again today and after that, we thought he would be stepping up against older horses. He was just ready for his next step today. The lads had it in their mind to come here and then maybe somewhere like the [July 15 G1] July Cup [at Newmarket] and then somewhere else after that. The lads have a plan in their mind that he might go to Australia for the [G1] Everest [at Randwick Oct. 14], so we have to be very conscious now if we want him to last for the autumn.”
There was a genuine sense of occasion from the associated Coolmore members at Ascot on Friday and O'Brien revealed that he was feeling some pressure. “I was very nervous as he was just ready to come through today–he was just ready as we hadn't really chased him but we always knew he was very brave,” he said. “Ryan was super confident on him and put him to sleep in the race. He said he would have a look at halfway where everybody was and that is what he did. He had plenty to do at halfway behind two good horses and he only raced for two and a half furlongs. He was very relaxed in himself before the race–he was very natural and there was no edge to him. He is a natural free sweater anyway, but I was surprised by how cool he was–he is a very calm horse. He is very quick, I would be happier at two furlongs than six furlongs with this fella. He is the fastest horse we have ever had. We felt that, because it was his second run back, we were afraid to do too much because we didn't want to lose that brilliance that he has. I'd say there's plenty left, as he wasn't worked up to it in any way and we were letting him come along slowly.” John Magnier added, “Every time we get a winner here, it always means something. We were unlucky to lose Scat Daddy a few years ago and this horse is his fourth winner at Royal Ascot this year. Hopefully, this fellow will take his place. He is unbeaten so far, so fingers crossed. He is a better racehorse than Scat Daddy and it is a cross that we need. It's just fortunate for us that he has come at the right time, like the cavalry.”
Harry Angel lived up to his billing and trainer Clive Cox was delighted afterwards. “It was a great run, a great horse race,” he commented. “He wore his heart on his sleeve a little bit there, but when you take the blindfold off them and they jump that quick there's not a lot you can do about it. Adam [Kirby] has given him a great ride and it was a very, very special race. I don't think it will be long before he takes his revenge in a group one race. We'll see how he comes back from this race, but we're just very pleased with this.” Blue Point's trainer Charlie Appleby said of the third, “It was a great race to watch and it was billed as a great sprint, so none of them let it down. William [Buick] said coming back in that he's a machine and a group 1 horse, but that he is unfortunate to meet two better ones in front. From my personal point of view, he needs to get on a flatter track as he has all the attributes for that. He travels very well and has got a turn of foot, so he has an array of options.”
Caravaggio is a half-brother to the GII Gallant Bloom H. winner My Jen who descends from the stakes-winning and GII Black Helen H. runner-up Silver in Flight. She in turn is the second dam of the GIII Lexington S. and GIII Lawrence Realization H. winner and GI Secretariat S. third Sharp Performance (Kris S.). Silver In Flight's stakes-winning half-sister Stark Winter (Graustark) is the dam of the four-times grade I-winning sire Bien Bien and the GIII Long Branch S. and GIII Royal Palm H.-winning sire Dr. Schwartzman. This is also the family of the GI Donn H. winner Spring At Last and the GI Las Virgenes S. heroine Sharp Lisa (Dixieland Band), who was responsible for this stable's group performers by Galileo (Ire), Foundry (Ire) and Housesofparliament (Ire), the latter of which was third in last year's G1 St Leger. Mekko Hokte also has a yearling full-sister to Caravaggio and a 2017 colt by American Pharoah.
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