Royal Ascot Trials Day Double For Caravaggio

It was two Royal Ascot Trials Day winners at Naas for Caravaggio when Amortentia (3g Caravaggio x Love Potion, by Galileo) broke his maiden late on the Irish card after a race after Galleria Borghese’s (3f Caravaggio x On Ice, by Galileo) victory.

Racing over a mile, Amortentia raced near the back of the pack for much of the run with Shane Crosse confidently handling the gelding throughout the run. In the final furlong, Amortentia swept past the leaders to have a deceivingly small half-length in hand at the line.

Trained by Joseph O’Brien, Amortentia was the second Caravaggio winner of the day trained by an O’Brien after Aidan O’Brien trainee Galleria Borghese (3f Caravaggio x On Ice, by Galileo) also broke her maiden one race before. Raced by the Coolmore partners and Annemarie O’Brien, that filly was bred by O’Brien as well.

Amortentia is a homebred for Sue Ann Foley and the first foal out of the winning Galileo mare Love Potion. That mare’s granddam is a full sister to champion Xaar and a daughter of bluehen broodmare Monroe.

Galleria Borghese is out of a full sister to Group I winner Kingsbarns and half-sister to Rock of Gibraltar’s Group III winning daughter Sweeter Still, the dam of Group I Two Thousand Guineas winner Kameko.

These two new winners take Caravaggio up to 45 overall from his first crop, the most of any North American second crop sire. Caravaggio’s five stakes winners and nine stakes performers are third best of any sire of his generation. The double comes one day after Caravaggio's Tiber Flow won the Listed Carnavon Stakes in England.