Impressive when beating the subsequent winner Lundy (GB) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) as the 1-3 favourite on debut over this trip at Dundalk Apr. 18, Caravaggio overcame testing ground to justify more heavy support in this often-informative staging post. Tracking the positively-ridden leader Mister Trader under Ryan Moore, the grey was pulled out to overhaul that rival under hand riding with 100 yards remaining and assert for a convincing success as a smart field finished strung out. “We were wanting to run him for experience with Royal Ascot in mind and this was a different experience on that [yielding-to-soft] ground to his first run at Dundalk,” Aidan O'Brien said. “He got a lead and relaxed lovely and Ryan taught him a lot. He's a big powerful, strong horse who is long and has a lovely head on him and a great temperament. The [G2] Coventry [S. at Royal Ascot June 14] or [G2] Norfolk [S. June 16] are his two options.” Caravaggio's smart dam, whose best progeny to date is the G2 Gallant Bloom H. winner My Jen, is out of the SW and GSP Silver in Flight who is in turn a half to the dam of the four-times grade 1-winning Bien Bien (Manila). Another of her half-siblings, Winter's Gone (Dynaformer), has produced the GI Donn H. scorer Spring At Last (Silver Deputy) and the GI Las Virgenes S. heroine Sharp Lisa (Dixieland Band). Also from the family of the MGSW & GI Secretariat S. third Sharp Performance (Kris S.), Mekko Hokte has a 2016 foal full-sister to Caravaggio. Click for the Racing Post result. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
COLD MOVE EUROPEAN BREEDERS FUND MARBLE HILL S.-Listed, €60,000, CUR, 5-21, 2yo, 5fT, 1:02.22, y/s.
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-Mrs John Magnier & Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith; B-Windmill Manor Farms, Inc. & Petaluma Bloodstock (KY); T-Aidan O'Brien; J-Ryan Moore. €35,400. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $49,456. *1/2 to My Jen (Fusaichi Pegasus), GSW-US, $203,000.
[bullet ad=”irt-shell”]2–Mister Trader (GB), 129, c, 2, Hellvelyn (GB)–Rehlaat, by Swain (Ire). (10,000gns Wlg '14 TATFOA; €15,000 Ylg '15 TISEP). O-Straight To Victory Syndicate. €11,400.
3–Ambiguity (Ire), 129, c, 2, Fastnet Rock (Aus)–Descant, by Nureyev. O-Mrs A. M. O'Brien. €5,400.
Margins: 2 1/4, 4 1/4, 1 1/4. Odds: 0.55, 7.00, 12.00.
Also Ran: Roly Poly, Ready To Roc (Ire), Confrontational (Ire), Hit The Bid (GB), Hyzenthlay (Ire), The McGregornator (Ire). Scratched: La Fee Verte (Ire).
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