Undefeated Caravaggio Shines in Commonwealth Cup

The Coolmore team from Ireland ruled the fourth day of Royal Ascot, where it won both group 1 events and gave a boost to Kentucky-bred Caravaggio, one of the most promising sons of the late sire Scat Daddy.

Caravaggio needed all of that as he came from off the pace to win the Commonwealth Cup (G1) by three-quarters of a length. The Godolphin pair Harry Angel and Blue Point finished second and third.

With jockey Ryan Moore aboard, the gray colt reared just before the gates opened and was reset just in time. He raced behind some early speed and found himself with a bit to do in the final furlong. Facing a headwind, he nonetheless rallied to take his sixth win without a loss and finished the six furlongs in 1:13.49.

Bound For Nowhere, brought to Ascot off two starts by trainer Wesley Ward, couldn't keep pace when the others quickened and settled for fourth in the field of 12.

"He's a brilliant horse," trainer Aidan O'Brien said of Caravaggio. "He's very quick. I don't think we've ever had a quicker horse."

"He beat two very good horses," said Moore, who also cited the strong winds down the Ascot straight. "It's hard to make up ground. That was a very good race."

The Coolmore runner scored in all four starts as a 2-year-old, including a win in the Keeneland Phoenix Stakes (G1) at the Curragh in August. He returned with a 4 3/4-length victory at Naas in a warmup for the Commonwealth.

O'Brien said Caravaggio could go next in the July Stakes (G1) at Newmarket, but then might have a long trip in his future.

"The lads have a plan in their mind that he might go to Australia for the Everest, so we have to be very conscious now if we want him to last for the autumn," O'Brien said.

The Everest is a six-furlong, buy-in event to be run for the first time at Royal Randwick Oct. 14. Modeled loosely after the Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1) at Gulfstream Park, it requires owners to purchase a gate for AUS$600,000 (about US$450,000) and make a three-year commitment. The race already is fully subscribed.

Bred in Kentucky by Windmill Manor Farms and Petaluma Bloodstock, Caravaggio's American roots are deep and not without a trace of sadness. Not only is he by the late Scat Daddy, but his dam's sire is 1994 Horse of the Year Holy Bull, who was euthanized 15 days before the Commonwealth at age 26.

Scat Daddy, who stood at Coolmore's Ashford Stud in Kentucky, died unexpectedly in 2015 at age 11 but not before he sired a huge clutch of winners, including this year's Royal Ascot victors Lady Aurelia, Con Te Partiro, and Sioux Nation. Coolmore's John Magnier said he hopes Caravaggio can carry on.

"Every time we get a winner here, it always means something." Magnier said. "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 (at stud).

"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."

Caravaggio's tour de force was followed by a similar effort from Winter, a daughter of Coolmore's predominant sire Galileo, in the Coronation Stakes (G1) for 3-year-old fillies. After she tracked the early pace, Winter came with Moore in the irons and rolled off at the end to win by 1 1/4 lengths.

 

O'Brien and the Coolmore team swept the placings, as Winter, Kentucky-bred Roly Poly (War Front  ), and Hydrangea finished 1-2-3, just as they did in the Irish One Thousand Guineas Guineas (G1). Dabyah finished fourth. La Coronel, a Colonel John filly trained in the United States by Mark Casse, finished fifth.

"Ryan had her in a lovely position and she was going well," O'Brien said in the winner's enclosure after flashing an uncharacteristically broad smile.

"She's only doing what she has to do," Moore said of the filly who also won the QIPCO One Thousand Guineas (G1) at Newmarket. "It's a hard thing to do, to win two Guineas and then come here."

Winter took a while to get her career going. She won just once in three starts last year, but switched to O'Brien's care for her 3-year-old season. She finished second behind Hydrangea in her first run, then started the Guineas blitz.

The King Edward VII Stakes (G2) provided another flattering footnote to this year's Investec Derby (G1), as Permian, who could do no more than finish 10th at Epsom, ran strongly down the straight to win by a half-length. Khalidi held for second, with the favorite, Crystal Ocean, third after a late rush on the outside.

With jockey William Buick up for trainer Mark Johnston and owner Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, Permian finished the 1 1/2 miles in 2:30.10 over a course softened a bit from the early days of this year's Royal meeting, as blistering weather moderated to a cool breeze.

Permian, a Darley-bred Teofilo colt out of the Mark Of Esteem mare Tessa Reef, came to the Derby with two straight wins, including the Betfred Dante Stakes (G2) at York.

"Mark and the team were surprised about the result of the Derby," Buick said. "(Today he) wanted him to go forward without asking him too much. You don't want to get too wide around here."

Johnston said Permian deserves and can get more.

"William said he would stay all day," the trainer said. "We've taken a slight step back in grade by coming to this race after the Derby, but his next run now has to be in group 1 company. He needs that group 1 tag on his neck. We will just have a think about where we go next."

Stradivarius saved ground through most of the Queen's Vase (G2) for 3-year-olds, came out to find a gap between rivals in the final furlong and was up in the last few yards to snatch the victory from Count Octave. Secret Advisor finished third in the 1 3/4-mile marathon.

Andrea Atzeni, who subbed for the injured Frankie Dettori, rode the winner for trainer John Gosden.

Stradivarius, a Sea the Stars colt bred and owned by Bjorn Nielsen, had his first run in a pattern race. By stint of the win, his name immediately surfaced in conversations about England's premier race for stayers, the St Leger (G1) at Doncaster in September.

Gosden praised Atzeni's ability to get position for Stradivarius after a start that gave way quickly to a turn.

"He's ridden him beautifully from an outside draw," the trainer said.

In the day's opener, longshot Different League came from France's minor tracks to beat some better-regarded 2-year-old fillies with relative ease in the Albany Stakes (G3). The Dabirsim filly, owned by an Irish group but trained and raced in France, went with the outside group under jockey Antoine Hamelin and was on the lead midway down the Ascot straight.

In the final furlong, Hamelin kept Different League just close enough to the outside rail to prevent the favorite, Alpha Centauri, from getting through. Take Me With You led the stands-side group at the wire and finished third.

Neither of the American-trained Wesley Ward fillies made much impression in the Albany. Princess Peggy came in 10th and Fairyland finished 12th.

Rare Rhythm (GB), who made his first start since the same race a year earlier, took the day's finale, the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes at 1 1/2 miles.