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First Winner For Caravaggio Is A Rising Star

The first runner for her exciting first-season sire, Tenebrism (Caravaggio) also carried the mantle of Ballydoyle's first juvenile runner of 2021 into Sunday's five-furlong juvenile opener at Naas. Not that she comprehended the gravitas of the moment, but the manner in which the daughter of the high-class Immortal Verse (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}) dealt with the task in hand could not have been more pleasing for her high-profile connections. In readily dismissing her peers in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden staged on soft ground, she instantly set a lofty standard for her stable's similarly illustriously-bred 2-year-olds to meet. Allowed to drift out to 7-2 despite holding on to favouritism, the bay who races for a partnership between Coolmore, Georg von Opel's Westerberg Limited and her part-breeder Merriebelle Stables was away on terms under Seamie Heffernan before meeting traffic in behind before halfway. Last when switched wide for a clear run two out, she responded notably to a smack with the whip to begin pursuit of the Bolger runner Gaire Os Ard (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) who had looked the likely winner at that stage. Picking up in dramatic fashion to brush that fellow filly aside with 150 yards remaining, she was pushed out with hands and heels to register an emphatic 3 3/4-length success and earn TDN Rising Star status in the process. Gaire Os Ard, who ran a respectable debut in her own right, was in turn 2 3/4 lengths in front of the third Lord Gorgeous (Ire) (Bated Breath {GB}).

Aidan O'Brien holds her in high regard and said, “She was always very natural from day one and she's able to quicken up very well, which is what the dad was able to do. You would have to be very happy with her. She's smart and we can look at all those quick races for her.”

It is always to be hoped that a mare with the ability of Immortal Verse will transmit that to her progeny and it may be significant that Tenebrism is her first daughter with her three prior foals including sons of War Front who won in Battle for Glory and Grand Deed. Particularly effective on this type of surface, one of the leading lights for the famed Richard Strauss-Robert Collet combination was dynamic when taking the G1 Coronation S. and G1 Prix Jacques le Marois with give in the ground, on the latter occasion inflicting a rare defeat on Goldikova (Ire) (Anabaa). Her full-sister Go Lovely Rose (Ire) was responsible for another who relished testing conditions in Roseman (Ire) (Kingman {GB}), runner-up in last year's G1 Queen Elizabeth II S., while her 3-year-old colt Baradar (Ire) (Muhaarar {GB}) was third in deep ground in the G1 Futurity Trophy in October.

The second dam is the listed-winning and group 3-placed Side of Paradise (Ire) (Sadler's Wells), a half-sister to the GI Breeders' Cup Mile-winning dual champion sprinter and champion sire Last Tycoon (Ire) and to the sire Astronef (Ire). Two other half-siblings to make a mark as broodmares were Save Me the Waltz (Ire) (Kings Lake), dam of the GI Matron S. winner Sense of Style (Thunder Gulch) and the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches heroine Valentine Waltz (Ire) (Be My Guest), and Zelda (Ire) (Caerleon) who is the ancestress of the G1 English and Irish 1000 Guineas heroine Hermosa (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and her dual group 1-winning full-sister Hydrangea (Ire). Immortal Verse, who was bought by John Moores and Charles Noell's Merriebelle Stables for 4.7million gns at the 2013 Tattersalls December Mares Sale, also has a yearling filly by Justify who she was bred back to this year.

1st-Naas, €14,000, Mdn, 3-28, 2yo, 5fT, 1:07.46, sf.
TENEBRISM, f, 2, by Caravaggio
1st Dam: Immortal Verse (Ire) (Hwt. 3yo Filly-Eng at 7-9 1/2f, G1SW-Eng, G1SW-Fr, $1,053,873), by Pivotal (GB)
2nd Dam: Side of Paradise (Ire), by Sadler's Wells
3rd Dam: Mill Princess (Ire), by Mill Reef
Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $9,913. O-Coolmore/Westerberg/Merribelle Stables; B-Merriebelle Stables & Orpendale/Chelston/Wynatt (KY); T-Aidan O'Brien. Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO

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Canadian Champion Jockey Kabel Dies

Canadian jockey Todd Kabel, a seven-time Sovereign Award winner, has died at the age of 55, according to a press release from Woodbine Racecourse. The native of Manitoba won 3,306 races from 1984 to 2013, racking up nearly US$106 million in career earnings. He was 1986's outstanding apprentice, and was named Canada's outstanding jockey in 1992, 1995, 2003, 2004 and 2006. Kabel, who reportedly battled with personal demons away from the track, piloted two Queen's Plate winners (Regal Discovery, 1995 and Scatter the Gold, 2000) and one winner of the Prince of Wales S. (Scatter the Gold, 2000). Funeral arrangements are pending.

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Curlin Colt Provides Pletcher with Sixth Florida Derby

St Elias Stable homebred Known Agenda (Curlin) upped trainer Todd Pletcher's record of GI Curlin Florida Derby wins to six while taking the race sponsored by his leading sire in impressive fashion Saturday.

“It has so many great meanings, but for me what is so special about this is to win it for St Elias with a horse that they bred,” Pletcher said. “I know how much that means to them, that makes it a little more extra special for us.”

The 5-1 shot saved all the ground early in a midpack fifth through fractions of :23.43 and :47.73. With Irad Ortiz, Jr. aboard, he traveled kindly in some traffic approaching the three-furlong marker, tipped out for clear sailing at the top of the lane and kicked away once switching over despite some drifting in the stretch to score by an expanding 2 3/4 lengths over longshot Soup and Sandwich (Into Mischief).

The streaking odds-on Greatest Honour (Tapit) favorite, winner of the GIII Holy Bull S. and GII Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth S., never really threatened while third. “I thought we were OK on the turn there and he just didn't kick on the way I thought he would,” trainer Shug McGaughey said.

As for the winner, Pletcher said, “I was really pleased with the progress he was making up the backside because one of the things we were a little bit worried about was if he got stuck inside, he didn't seem to handle that in [last December's GII] Remsen very well. When he was making progress up the backside and picking off horses while he was inside and behind horses, I had a pretty good feeling at that point that he was running his race today and that it was a matter of finding out how good he is.”

Known Agenda, a narrow and ultra-game maiden winner over Greatest Honour in a key heat at Aqueduct last November, closed out his juvenile campaign with a well-beaten third at a well-backed 9-5 in the GII Remsen S. A disappointing fifth from well out of it as the 3-2 favorite while kicking off his sophomore campaign in Tampa's GIII Sam F. Davis S. Feb. 6, he looked like a new horse with blinkers added and first-time Lasix last time, airing by 11 lengths in a track-and-trip optional claimer Feb. 26.

“We were looking for a couple of things in that last race,” Pletcher said. “One, to see if blinkers made an improvement in his being a little more tactical and secondly, we wanted to see how he handled the Gulfstream surface. I thought we got very good answers to both of those questions. The only thing was we were taking a fairly significant step back in class. It wasn't an overwhelming field, but the way he did it, to win by 11 anytime in a race like that, and [jockey] Irad [Ortiz Jr.] kind of wrapped up on him the last part, I thought it was not only an impressive race but a step in the right direction. It showed us that the blinkers helped and that he handled Gulfstream.”

Ortiz Jr. set the single-season Championship Meet win record in style with his victory aboard Known Agenda in the Florida Derby.

“It means a lot,” Ortiz Jr. said. “We work so hard. It feels so good to get the feedback from the owners and the trainers. They support me. I say thanks to all of them.”

Pedigree Notes:

Known Agenda, a $135,000 RNA as a FTSAUG yearling, becomes the 77th black-type/38th graded winner for the mighty Curlin. He is the 13th Grade I winner for Hill 'n' Dale Farms's leading sire. Pletcher also trained Curlin standouts such as: Vino Rosso, Palace Malice, Curalina, Off the Tracks, et al. “To be honest, he's a horse that reminds us a lot of Vino Rosso,” Pletcher said of the 2019 GI Breeders' Cup Classic winner. “Personality-wise, obviously being a chestnut son of Curlin, but he's taken a little while to kind of put everything together. We kept seeing talent in the mornings that he wasn't necessarily displaying in the afternoon but we knew it was there.” Byrama–heroine of the 2013 GI Vanity H. for Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Simon Callaghan–was acquired privately by St Elias after RNA'ing for $725,000 at that fall's KEENOV sale, and made six more starts the following season for Bill Mott. Byrama is also represented by the 2-year-old filly Breeze Berry (Bodemeister) and an Always Dreaming filly of 2020. She was bred to Kitten's Joy for 2021. Vinnie Viola showed plenty of support for Curlin at last year's KEESEP sale. Along with Mike Repole, Gainesway, John Oxley and Grandview, St. Elias purchased a $1.2-million yearling son of Curlin-Midnight Lucky. St. Elias and Repole, the team behind the aforementioned champion older male Vino Rosso, also partnered up on four additional colts by Curlin for $475,000, $400,000, $350,000 and $250,000.

Saturday, Gulfstream
CURLIN FLORIDA DERBY PRESENTED BY HILL 'N' DALE FARMS AT XALAPA-GI, $770,000, Gulfstream, 3-27, 3yo, 1 1/8m, 1:49.45, ft.
1–KNOWN AGENDA, 122, c, 3, by Curlin
                     1st Dam: Byrama (GB) (GISW, $659,067), by Byron (GB)
                     2nd Dam: Aymara (GB), by Darshaan (GB)
                     3rd Dam: Chipaya (GB), by Northern Prospect
   1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN, 1ST GRADE I
   WIN. ($135,000 RNA Ylg '19 FTSAUG). O/B-St. Elias Stables, LLC
(KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher; J-Irad Ortiz, Jr. $437,100. Lifetime
Record: 6-3-1-1, $541,700. Werk Nick Rating: F. Click for the
   eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Soup and Sandwich, 122, c, 3, Into Mischief–Souper Scoop,
by Tapit. O-Live Oak Plantation; B-Live Oak Stud (FL); T-Mark E.
Casse. $161,000.
3–Greatest Honour, 122, c, 3, Tapit–Tiffany's Honour, by Street
Cry (Ire). O-Courtlandt Farms (Donald and Donna Adam);
B-Courtlandt Farm (KY); T-Claude R. McGaughey III. $70,500.
Margins: 2 3/4, 3, 1 1/4. Odds: 5.40, 12.10, 0.80.
Also Ran: Nova Rags, Collaborate, Southern Passage, Papetu, Spielberg, Quantum Leap, Jirafales, Sigiloso. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

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Godolphin homebred Wins Bourbonette Oaks

Adventuring opened her career with three off-turf races at Fair Grounds, most recently romping to a 6 1/2-length maiden score going one mile and 70 yards in New Orleans Feb. 16. Moving to the synthetic for this stakes debut, the bay filly was well off the pace set by the loose-on-the-lead Spritz. She made eye-catching progress on the far turn and stormed to the lead into the stretch, momentarily drifting out as the pacesetter fought back along the rail, but Adenturing powered clear once righted for a confident tally. Adventuring is the last foal out of 2012 champion 3-year-old filly Questing, who died in 2019. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

BOURBONETTE OAKS, $150,000, Turfway, 3-27, 3yo, f, 1m (AWT), 1:37.31, ft.
1–ADVENTURING, 120, f, 3, by Pioneerof the Nile
                1st Dam: Questing (GB) (Ch. 3-year-old Filly, MGISW-US, MGSP-Eng, $876,876), by Hard Spun
                2nd Dam: Chercheuse, by Seeking the Gold
                3rd Dam: Sassy Bird, by Storm Bird
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. O/B-Godolphin, LLC (KY); T-Brad H. Cox;
J-Florent Geroux. $88,350. Lifetime Record: 4-2-1-1, $131,370.
*1/2 to Romantic Pursuit (Medaglia d'Oro), MGSP, $292,804.
2–Spritz, 120, f, 3, Awesome Again–Holy Blitz, by Holy Bull.
($140,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-SF Racing LLC; B-Tony Holmes &
SF Bloodstock LLC (KY); T-Rodolphe Brisset. $28,500.
3–Candace O, 118, f, 3, Declaration of War–That Voodoo
Youdo, by Speightstown. ($65,000 RNA Ylg '19 KEESEP).
O-River Oak Farm, Medallion Racing and Claret Equine;
B-Crosshaven Bloodstock (KY); T-H. Graham Motion. $14,250.
Margins: 2, 1HF, 5. Odds: 2.60, 39.00, 6.00.
Also Ran: Oliviaofthedesert, Wait for Nairobi, Forever Boss, Roll Up Mo Money, Into Vanishing, Speeding, California Lily.

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