Agartha Becomes Caravaggio's First Group Winner
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Photo: Healy Racing/Racingfotos.com
Agartha wins Silver Flash Stakes at Leopardstown
Agartha shed her maiden tag in stylish fashion when providing first-season sire Caravaggio with a first individual group winner in the Frank Conroy Silver Flash Stakes (G3) at Leopardstown Racecourse.
Placed her four previous starts, Joseph O'Brien's filly led from the start and came home 2 3/4 lengths ahead of Juncture .
The Whisperview Trading-bred Agartha is the second black-type winner for the Ashford Stud sire following Dizzy Bizu 's listed score at Chantilly last month. The son of Scat Daddy has also sired the group 3-placed Andreas Vesalius (IRE) and the stakes-placed Orazio (IRE).
Owned by Anne-Marie O'Brien, Agartha is the first foal out of the listed-winning Dylan Thomas mare Arya Tara (IRE), herself out of a winning half sister to the high-class Prix Ganay (G1) victor Astarabad .
Caravaggio has sired 10 individual winners to date. The promising sire was bred by Windmill Manor Farms and Petaluma Bloodstock and went unbeaten in four starts at 2 for Aidan O'Brien and the Coolmore partners, including when landing the Keeneland Phoenix Stakes (G1) and Coventry Stakes (G2) by wide margins.
He went on to land the Commonwealth Cup (G1) and Derrinstown Stud Flying Five (G2) at 3 to make it seven wins from 10 starts and over £720,000 (US$992,823) in prize-money earnings.
Caravaggio retired to stand at Coolmore's Irish base for three seasons before switching to Ashford in Kentucky last year, where he stands for a fee of $25,000.