Renaissance Second Winner in 24 Hours for Caravaggio
It was a second new winner in two days for Caravaggio on Friday when Renaissance (2f Caravaggio x Blessing, by Pulpit) broke her maiden at Thirsk.
Stretching out to seven furlongs for the first time on the British turf, the filly raced along the rail in midpack under David Nolan. There was plenty to do as they raced around the turn with the leader having open lengths on the field but by the time she entered the stretch, she had come back to the field.
Renaissance joined a battle for the lead soon after and took over in less than a furlong. Nolan gave her a few taps before just showing her the whip in the closing stages to win by 2 ¼ lengths for owner-breeder Sir Robert Ogden.
Trained by David O’Meara, Renaissance is the 11th winner for Caravaggio.
Renaissance is the third winner from four to race out of the Pulpit mare Blessing. That mare is a half-sister to multiple stakes winner The Texas Tunnel, stakes winner Kris’s Prayer, stakes placed Jubileo, and the dam of Grade II winner and Grade I-placed Redeemed.
Grade III winner and Grade I-placed third dam Katonka is the matriarch of a strong stakes family that includes Japanese champions Stinger and Red Falx, Irish and French champion Oratorio, and Italian champion Blue Constellation.
Registering his second stakes winner – and first graded stakes winner – yesterday with Agartha, Caravaggio’s 11 winners overall is three better than the nearest freshman sire in North America. The Scat Daddy son also leads all North American freshmen by stakes horses with four, and graded stakes horses with two.