Anything other than a clear-cut victory for Susan Magnier's unbeaten Caravaggio here would have been a disappointment and it was ultimately textbook stuff as Seamie Heffernan steered him to an easy verdict over his maiden stablemate Courage Under Fire. Having scared off any meaningful opposition from elsewhere with a mixture of fearsome reputation and form in the book, having won a decent renewal of the G2 Coventry S. at Royal Ascot June 14, the grey faced the weakest assembly of runners for this important staging post seen in some time. Following the stable's pace-setter Courage Under Fire in fourth early, Caravaggio glided to his quarters passing the quarter pole before stretching clear under hand urging. Disappointment of the race was the G2 Railway S. winner Medicine Jack (GB) (Equiano {Fr}), who failed to raise a fist and finished well beaten in third. “He has speed and class and there was plenty left today,” his rider explained. “He always showed a lot and never disappoints. He has always stood out in any piece of work he has done.”
Aidan O'Brien is clearly in awe of his latest juvenile sensation, who achieved a first top-level success ironically on the day that last year's champion 2-year-old Air Force Blue (War Front) was a notable flop. “He's a very good horse and everything went 100 per-cent,” he said. “In his last piece of work he hit a top speed of 45 miles per hour–no horse in Ballydoyle has ever been able to do that and that tells you the pure raw pace he has. He's very pacey and has a great mind. He'd done very well since Ascot and has strengthened and physically he has really developed. He was all pace from the first time we worked him and you never know how far they are going to stay when they are like that, but everything is right with him. He's so relaxed he could get further, but I'd say we'll have a look at the [G1 Prix] Morny [at Deauville Aug. 21], unless it's bad ground. He's the fastest we have ever had and I'd not be in a rush to go over seven furlongs. We won't try [further] until we have to. He could always go for the [G1] Middle Park [S. at Newmarket Sept. 24] after the Morny. Courage Under Fire was back on fast ground and was a very late foal who is well-bred, so he's probably going to progress with every month.”
Caravaggio's stamina for a mile, should he be asked to tackle the 2000 Guineas in the spring, can only be taken on trust at present based on racecourse evidence. His pedigree, which is mainly made up of dirt performers, gives some hope on that score with his third dam Silver In Flight boasting the 10- and 12-furlong graded-stakes winner Sharp Performance (Kris S.) among her descendants. She is a half to Stark Winter (Graustark), who is the dam of the middle-distance performer and sire Bien Bien. Interestingly, the GI Las Virgenes S. heroine Sharp Lisa (Dixieland Band) also features in the family and she has thrown two 12-furlong-plus group performers in Foundry (Ire) and Housesofparliament (Ire), although both probably got their stamina from their sire Galileo {Ire). Mekko Hokte has a 2016 foal full-sister to Caravaggio and has been bred to American Pharoah.
Sunday, Curragh, Ireland
KEENELAND PHOENIX S.-G1, €250,000, CUR, 8-7, 2yo, 6fT, 1:11.79, g/f.
1–&CARAVAGGIO, 129, c, 2, 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-Seamus Heffernan. €142,500. Lifetime Record: GSW-Eng, 4-4-0-0, $328,856. *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–Courage Under Fire, 129, c, 2, War Front">War Front–Charming, by Seeking the Gold. O-Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier & Michael Tabor; B-Charming Syndicate (KY); T-Aidan O'Brien. €50,000.
[bullet ad=”irt-shell”][bullet ad=”us-bred-ky-bred”]3–Medicine Jack (GB), 129, c, 2, Equiano (Fr)–Agony Aunt (GB), by Formidable. (10,000gns Wlg '14 TATFOA; €28,000 Ylg '15 TISEP). O-Sean Jones; B-Downfield Cottage Stud (GB); T-Ger Lyons. €25,000.
Margins: 4, 2 3/4, 2 1/4. Odds: 0.10, 33.00, 4.00.
Also Ran: Grand Coalition (Ire), Ambiguity (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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