THE Group 1-winning sprinter No Nay Never has made an exciting start to his stallion career, which augurs well for the prospects of the many other young sons of Scat Daddy (by Johannesburg) who are in earlier stages of their time at stud.
No Nay Never was a star at two, talented at three, came up with the juvenile star and Group 1 July Cup hero Ten Sovereigns in his first northern hemisphere crop, Chilean Grade 1 winner and 10-furlong classic heroine Brooke from his first southern hemisphere-born runners, and now commands a €175,000 fee and books that include classic and other Group 1-winning mares.
Caravaggio, another member of the Coolmore team, stands for €40,000 this year on the back of an initial foal-sale season where 11 of his offspring made a six-figure sum, headed by colts who fetched 250,000gns in Newmarket and €240,000 in Goffs.
He too was one of his sire Scat Daddy’s sprint stars, rather than showing the mile-plus stamina more frequently found in progeny of the late eight- and nine-furlong Grade 1 scorer, and the odds that many of Caravaggio’s early representatives will be seen to best effect at under seven furlongs are likely to be quite short.
Of course, being a son of Scat Daddy and from a family with a proven history of getting both sprinters and mile-plus horses, there is every reason to hope that, like No Nay Never and his sire, he will also get some classic horses.
Caravaggio was an unbeaten two-year-old whose four wins came by an aggregate of 10 and a quarter lengths, culminating in the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh. His debut was over five furlongs at Dundalk in mid-April 2016, he won the Listed Marble Hill Stakes over the same trip a month later at the Curragh and beat Mehmas easily in the Group 2 Coventry Stakes over six on soft ground at Royal Ascot.
Twelve months later, he returned to that venue to beat Harry Angel by three-parts of a length while winning the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup. He also won the Group 2 Derrinstown Stud Flying Five at the Curragh and the Group 3 Lacken Stakes over six at Naas, was third in the Group 1 Qipco British Champions Sprint Stakes at Ascot and fourth to Harry Angel in the Group 1 July Cup.
Caravaggio is a half-brother to the Grade 2 sprint winner My Jen (by Fusaichi Pegasus), his stakes-winning dam Mekko Hokte (by Holy Bull) is a granddaughter of the Grade 2-placed nine-furlong stakes winner Silver In Flight (by Silver Series), and those who appear under branches of the fourth generation of his pedigree include South African champion Oh Susanna (by Street Cry), top US turf stayer Bien Bien (by Manila), Australian Group 1 scorer Foundry (by Galileo) and US dirt Grade 1 stars Spring At Last (by Silver Deputy) and Sharp Lisa (by Dixieland Band).
Caravaggio looks likely to be a leading freshman sire of 2021 and to get smart sprinters and milers beyond then.
CARAVAGGIO (USA), Grey 2014. 3rd top rated 2yr old colt in Ireland in 2016. Top rated 3yr old sprinter in Ireland in 2017. Won seven races, £724,463, from 5 furlongs to 6 furlongs, at 2 and 3 years including, Commonwealth Cup, Ascot, Gr.1, Keeneland Phoenix Stakes, Curragh, Gr.1, Coventry Stakes, Ascot, Gr.2, Derrinstown Stud Flying Five Stakes, Curragh, Gr.2, EMS Copiers Lacken Stakes, Naas, Gr.3, Cold Move EBF Marble Hill Stakes, Curragh, L, also placed third in Qipco British Champions Sprint Stakes, Ascot, Gr.1.
Retired to Stud in 2018, first crop now yearlings
Stands at: Coolmore Stud, Fethard, Co Tipperary, Ireland.
Contact: Christy Grassick, David O’Loughlin, Eddie Fitzpatrick, Maurice Moloney, Gerry Aherne, Jason Walsh, Tom Miller, Mark Byrne, Neil Magee, or Hermine Bastide
Telephone: +353 (0)52 6131298
Email: sales@coolmore.ie
Web: www.coolmore.com
Fee: €40,000