Every day of this exalted week is a big day for Coolmore and Ballydoyle, but the G2 Coventry S. is where many of the early seeds have been sewn by the master of Rosegreen and Tuesday's renewal offers his team the opportunity of the outright record of eight wins to usurp the legends Frank Butters and Fred Darling. Since Harbour Master (Fr) (Bluebird) offered the portents of what was to come from the stable when scoring at 16-1 in 1997, the likes of Fasliyev, Landseer (Ire), Henrythenavigator, Power (GB) and War Command (War Front) have set up future Group 1 conquests with victory in this early test. While the Coventry, which once served as a forum for the burgeoning talent of Mill Reef and Chief Singer (Ire), went through a dip in its status as a Classic pointer during the late 1980s to late 1990s, it is largely due to Ballydoyle's intense interest that it has subsequently turned itself around again. This year's favourite Caravaggio (Scat Daddy) is more of a cast-iron sprinting character than some of his Ballydoyle predecessors, with his trainer not completely certain that he will stay further than the five over which he captured the Listed Marble Hill S. at The Curragh last time May 21. O'Brien was understandably skeptical with regards to the unbeaten colt excelling on this type of ground. “Caravaggio won on soft ground [last time], but shouldn't be a soft-ground horse at all,” he said.
Trainer Richard Hannon Sr has won this three times, most notably with Canford Cliffs (Ire) in 2009 and his chief prospect this time is Al Shaqab Racing's Mehmas (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}). He beat Global Applause (GB) (Mayson {GB}) easily in Newbury's Olympic Glory Conditions S. over this trip May 14 before finishing runner-up to that rival over a furlong shorter in the Listed National S. at Sandown 12 days later. Two other of the total of unbeaten colts in the line-up have a particularly menacing profile here, with Sean Jones's Psychedelic Funk (GB) (Choisir {Aus}) showing his teeth with a six-length win in the Fishery Lane Race over this distance at Naas May 11 and Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum's Yalta (Ire) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) taking apart his Pontefract rivals by upwards of 4 1/2 lengths May 27.
Wesley Ward puts forward the sole filly in the race, the unbeaten Silvertoni (Tapit) who meets wholly different conditions than when dominating the Kentucky Juvenile S. over five furlongs on fast dirt at Churchill Downs May 5. Were it not for her trainer's incredible record here, her chances would be discounted out of hand, but all his runners now deserve scrutiny. “She is a really nice filly who has been going great,” he explained. “She is by Tapit, the best sire in America and she's shooting good. We're seeing everything we want from her.”
Godolphin's representation rests with the homebred May 31 Leicester debut scorer Thunder Snow (Ire) (Helmet {Aus}) and their recent acquisition Van Der Decken (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}), who was also off the mark on his racecourse bow at The Curragh May 22. The latter is a dream first Royal runner for rookie trainer Paddy Twomey and he said, “Van Der Decken is in good form and he is ready to go again. He won well on his debut at the Curragh and we think he has progressed since then, so we are looking forward to him taking his chance in the Coventry S. Soft ground will inconvenience him less than some of the others, because he has run on it before.”
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