Caravaggio

Stark Contrast (Caravaggio), an impressive 2 1/4-length winner of the GI American Turf S. with a career-high 99 Beyer Speed Figure on Kentucky Derby day, is being aimed at the GI Belmont Derby at Saratoga July 4. The Amerman Racing homebred has worked three times at trainer Michael McCarthy's Santa Anita base since, including a four-furlong breeze in :50.20 (27/31) June 11. C R K Stable's 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' Remember Mamba (Kitten's Joy), winner of the GIII UK HealthCare Transylvania S. at Keeneland and runner-up in the...

Connections of Stark Contrast (c, 3, Caravaggio--Catch the Eye, by Quality Road), second in the GIII Jeff Ruby Steaks Mar. 21 behind scratched GI Kentucky Derby contender Fulleffort (Liam's Map), could have entertained a Derby bid with the 50 points he earned at Turfway, but opted instead for the 35th running of the GI American Turf Stakes Saturday on the Derby undercard at Churchill Downs. And boy, did it pay off for the Michael McCarthy-trained Amerman homebred, who took home his first Grade I score. Sent as the 6-5 favorite,...

Amerman Racing's Stark Contrast (Caravaggio), runner-up in both the GIII Jeff Ruby Steaks Mar. 21 and the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf last fall, is more likely to target the GI American Turf S. than the GI Kentucky Derby. Both races are run at Churchill Downs May 2. He currently has 50 qualifying points for the Derby. "He may win on the first Saturday in May, I don't think it'll be in the Kentucky Derby," trainer Michael McCarthy said on At the Races with Steve Byk. "Being by Caravaggio out...

Following the explosive performance of Erdenali (Caravaggio) at Saint-Cloud on Sunday, the only downside is that the latest sensation to emerge from The Aga Khan Studs is a gelding and therefore unable to contest the Classics. Sent off the 2-1 favourite for the card's opening Prix Kashmir over a mile, the grandson of the high-class Ervedya (Siyouni) cruised from the back to the front two out under a near-motionless Mickael Barzalona, who had made the voyage back from Dubai where he had steered the operation's gelding supreme Calandagan only hours before....

Stark Contrast (Caravaggio) did very little wrong during his juvenile season, and kicked off 2026 in a similar vein, winning his sophomore bow in Thursday's Eddie Logan Stakes at Santa Anita. Stark Contrast didn't appear to appreciate the main track when finishing fourth in a six-furlong dirt maiden at Del Mar in August, but immediately turned things around to win next time going a mile on that venue's turf course on Sept. 6. Making it two-straight when coming from off the pace to take the one-mile GIII Zuma Beach Stakes...

Queen of the course and queen of the ring, four-time Group 1 winner Porta Fortuna (Caravaggio) was knocked down for 4.5 million gns to MV Magnier during Tuesday's Sceptre Sessions of the Tattersalls December Mares Sale. Consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, the daughter of winner Too Precious (Holy Roman Emperor) has the option of racing again. Bred by Whisperview Trading, the four-year-old filly is out of a full-sister to multiple group winner Numerian, second in the G1 Australian Cup and G1 Doomben Cup. Porta Fortuna raced for Medallion Racing,...

Keeneland has supplemented 12 horses to the November Horses of Racing Age sale scheduled for noon ET on Wednesday, Nov. 12, which brings the total number of offerings to 215 for the stand-alone auction, the organizer said via a Thursday press release. In the latest round of supplements are: Cheval de Guerre (Hip 4212), a 3-year-old gelding by Caravaggio who is an allowance winner. He is consigned by ELiTE, agent; Chief Liam (Hip 4211), a 3-year-old colt by Violence who won an Oct. 5 allowance at Belmont At The Big...

Red-hot sire Gun Runner batted 1,000 during the weanling portion of the Fasig-Tipton November Sale, with his only weanling scheduled to go through the ring Monday bringing $500,000 to the bid of Tracy Farmer. The chestnut filly, consigned by Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa as Hip 56, is out of the winning Susie's Baby (Giant's Causeway) and is a half to GSW & MGISP Family Way (Uncle Mo). The Mar. 27-foaled filly's dam is a half-sister to MG1SW and sire Caravaggio (Scat Daddy). The new Tracy Farmer purchase was bred...

The last Amerman Racing homebred by Oscar Performance to carry the colors home in the GIII Zuma Beach Stakes was Endlessly, who captured the race as the 80 cents on the dollar favorite in 2023. Stark Contrast, a horse with a pair of races under his belt, duplicated the feat at Santa Anita Sunday. Like Endlessly, Stark Contrast is also from the Michael McCarthy shedrow. The colt tried turf for his conditioner at second asking over the seaside oval grass course and he won by a length Sept. 6. Set...

Four-time Group 1 winner Porta Fortuna is set to headline this year's Tattersalls December Mares Sale. She will be consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency and will head the fourth edition of the Sceptre Sessions, which will be held on Monday, December 1 and Tuesday, December 2. Trained by Donnacha O'Brien for a partnership consisting of Taylor Made's Medallion Racing, Steve Weston, Dean Reeves and Barry Fowler, the daughter of Caravaggio will be offered as the winner of eight of her 13 starts and nearly £1.3 in total prize-money. A...

Overlooked at the windows to the tune of 22-1, Plensa (Caravaggio) fired a big shot in the Exacta Systems Gun Runner Stakes and landed in the winner's circle at Kentucky Downs on Saturday. After finishing as the runner-up in two tries last fall to break his maiden, the dark bay finally graduated on his fourth attempt June 15 under the Twin Spires. The colt was last seen running third against optional claimers over the Spa turf July 18. Plensa was in the mix early before dropping towards the rear of...

First-time starter Setting Sun (Caravaggio), who was pulled up during the running of the ninth race at Saratoga Wednesday, has been euthanized according to a press release from NYRA Thursday. The note reads: "During the running of Race 9 on Wednesday, August 6 at Saratoga Race Course, the Miguel Clement-trained Setting Sun was pulled up by jockey Flavien Prat in the stretch run with an injury to the left front. The filly was immediately attended to by on-track veterinarians, who transported Setting Sun to Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital for...