Coolmore Ireland Breeders' Handbook 2019

Caravaggio ranks alongside Lady Aurelia, No Nay Never, Sioux Nation, Acapulco, Seahenge, Skitter Scatter, Van Beethoven, So Perfect, Sergei Prokofiev and Daddy Long Legs among Scat Daddy’s 11 2yo Group winners in Europe. Between them they collected five of Royal Ascot’s 2yo Group races, in addition to two editions of both the Prix Morny and the Phoenix Stakes. Scat Daddy was once represented by as many as nine 2yo stakes winners in a single crop, with six scoring at Graded/Group level. This suggests strongly that Caravaggio has the perfect background to become a leading sire of fast and precocious juveniles. No Nay Never is similarly qualified and he ran out a comfortable winner of the 2018 first-crop sires’ championship. Other members of the Storm Cat male line have sired Gr.1 winners from daughters of DANEHILL , DANSILI and FASTNET ROCK . This is a route to follow with Caravaggio, judging by No Nay Never’s impressive results. No Nay Never owes much of his early success to mares by sons of DANEHILL , including EXCEED AND EXCEL (Gr.1 winner Ten Sovereigns), ROCK OF GIBRALTAR (Gr.2 scorer Land Force), ORATORIO (Listed winner Servalan), FASTNET ROCK (Gr.2-placed Neverland Rock) and DANEHILL DANCER (Gr.1-placed The Irish Rover and Gr.3-placed We Go. Mares by KODIAC , CAMACHO , DANSILI , DUKE OF MARMALADE , DYLAN THOMAS , CLODOVIL , DANETIME and HOLY ROMAN EMPEROR all merit a chance with Caravaggio, as do mares by CHOISIR , MASTERCRAFTSMAN and ZOFFANY . The GREEN DESERT branch of the DANZIG line is also showing promise with No Nay Never. CAPE CROSS is the broodmare sire of No Nay Never’s Listed winner No Needs Never, whose yearling sister sold for 525,000gns. A €700,000 second-crop No Nay Never yearling has a dam by Cape Cross’s son SEA THE STARS . Mares by INVINCIBLE SPIRIT and OASIS DREAM have obvious appeal with a top sprinter like Caravaggio, especially when Scat Daddy sired a Gr.1-winning 2yo from an OASIS DREAM mare. Mares by DESERT STYLE and KHELEYF are other options. Fast horses from the NUREYEV line could suit, such as daughters of PIVOTAL , EXCELLENT ART , CAPTAIN RIO and KYLLACHY . SIYOUNI , with his dam by DANEHILL , could be especially suitable. No Nay Never has a Listed winner with a dam by PEINTRE CELEBRE . CARAVAGGIO should suit STORM CAT line mares by the likes of FOOTSTEPSINTHESAND , SHAMARDAL and LOPE DE VEGA . Scat Daddy’s flying daughter Lady Aurelia is inbred 4x3 to STORM CAT and another of his Gr.1 winners, Harmonize, is inbred 4x4. MR PROSPECTOR will be back in the fourth generation of Caravaggio’s foals. Another line could be added by sending him daughters of RAVEN’S PASS , IFFRAAJ , TAMAYUZ and DUTCH ART . As Scat Daddy sired several good winners at around a mile and a quarter, headed by his magnificent 2018 American Triple Crown winner Justify, it is worth trying Caravaggio with mares by leading middle-distance performers, such as MONTJEU and HIGH CHAPARRAL . HIGH CHAPARRAL mares produced second-crop No Nay Never yearlings which sold for €350,000 and €240,000. GALILEO mares could also work well with Caravaggio, as Galileo is excelling with mares by Storm Cat and Johannesburg. Expect to see Caravaggio make his mark with mares from the quick-maturing ROYAL APPLAUSE line, including those by his son and grandson ACCLAMATION and DARK ANGEL .

CARAVAGGIO was Timeform’s highest-rated juvenile colt of 2016 and a brilliant sprinter at 3. And he’s got a pedigree free of both DANEHILL and SADLER’S WELLS .

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