Stark Contrast (horse)
| Stark Contrast | |
|---|---|
| Sire | Caravaggio |
| Grandsire | Scat Daddy |
| Dam | Catch the Eye |
| Damsire | Quality Road |
| Sex | Colt |
| Foaled | March 2, 2023[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Color | Bay |
| Breeder | Mrs. Jerry Amerman |
| Owner | Amerman Racing |
| Trainer | Michael W. McCarthy |
| Record | 7: 4 - 2 - 0 |
| Earnings | US$1,066,060[2] |
| Major wins | |
| Zuma Beach Stakes (2025) American Turf Stakes (2026) | |
| Last updated on May 4, 2026 | |
Stark Contrast (foaled March 2, 2023) is a Grade I winning American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2026 American Turf Stakes at Churchill Downs.
Background
Stark Contrast is a bay colt who was bred in Kentucky by Mrs. Jerry Amerman and is owned by Amerman Racing with her husband John. He is out of the Graded-placed Quality Road mare Catch the Eye.[3] Catch the Eye finished third in the 2020 Grade III John C. Mabee Stakes at Del Mar Racetrack.[4] Catch the Eye was also bred by Mrs. Jerry Amerman and her dam, the Irish-bred Turns My Head was bought by Amerman Racing in 2008 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sales.
Stark Contrast's sire is Caravaggio who was an outstanding two-year-old in 2016 in Great Britain and Ireland. In 2025 Caravaggio stood at Japanese Bloodhorse Breeders' Association Shizunai Stallion Station.[5]
Stark Contrast is trained by trainer Michael W. McCarthy.
Statistics
| Date | Distance | Race | Grade | Track | Odds | Field | Finish | Winning Time |
Winning (Losing) Margin |
Jockey | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 – Two-year-old season | |||||||||||
| Aug 16, 2025 | 6 furlongs | Maiden Special Weight | Del Mar | 17.80 | 6 | 4 | 1:10.17 | (11+1⁄2 lengths) | Kazushi Kimura | [6] | |
| Sep 6, 2025 | 1 mile | Maiden Special Weight | Del Mar | 3.40* | 10 | 1 | 1:36.96 | 1 length | Kazushi Kimura | [7] | |
| Oct 5, 2025 | 1 mile | Zuma Beach Stakes | III | Santa Anita | 3.60 | 5 | 1 | 1:35.38 | 1 length | Kazushi Kimura | [8] |
| Oct 31, 2025 | 1 mile | Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf | I | Del Mar | 58.20 | 14 | 2 | 1:34.93 | (3⁄4 length) | Kazushi Kimura | [9] |
| 2026 – Three-year-old season | |||||||||||
| Jan 8, 2026 | 1 mile | Eddie Logan Stakes | Listed | Santa Anita | 0.30* | 5 | 1 | 1:35.38 | 2+1⁄4 lengths | Kazushi Kimura | [10] |
| Mar 21, 2026 | 1+1⁄8 miles | Jeff Ruby Steaks | III | Turfway Park | 2.22 | 12 | 2 | 1:49.84 | (2+1⁄2 lengths) | Kazushi Kimura | [11] |
| May 2, 2026 | 1+1⁄16 miles | American Turf Stakes | I | Churchill Downs | 1.20* | 13 | 1 | 1:40.31 | 2+1⁄4 lengths | Flavien Prat | [12] |
Legend:
Turf
All Weather Track
Dirt
Notes:
An (*) asterisk after the odds means Stark Contrast was the post-time favourite.
Pedigree
| Sire Caravaggio (2014) |
Scat Daddy (2004) |
Johannesburg (1999) |
Hennessy (1993) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Myth (1993) | |||
| Love Style (1999) |
Mr Prospector (1970) | ||
| Likeable Style (1990) | |||
| Mekko Hokte (2000) |
Holy Bull (1991) |
Great Above (1972) | |
| Sharon Brown (1980) | |||
| Aerosilver (1992) |
Relaunch (1976) | ||
| Silver In Flight (1980) | |||
| Dam Catch the Eye (2016) |
Quality Road (2006) |
Elusive Quality (1993) |
Gone West (1984) |
| Touch of Greatness (1986) | |||
| Kobla (1995) |
Strawberry Road (AUS) (1979) | ||
| Winglet (1988) | |||
| Turn My Head (IRE) (2007) |
Montjeu (IRE) (1993) |
Sadler's Wells (1981) | |
| Floripedes (1985) | |||
| Egyptian Queen (2004) |
Storm Cat (1983) | ||
| Warrior Queen (1997) (Family: 4-j)[13] |
References
- 1 2 "Pedigree of Stark Contrast". Equineline. Retrieved April 20, 2026.
- ↑ "Profile of Stark Contrast". Equibase. Retrieved May 5, 2026.
- ↑ Madden, Lizzy (May 2, 2026). "Back on Grass, Stark Contrast Wins American Turf; The son of Caravaggio gets his first grade 1 victory". bloodhorse.com. Retrieved May 5, 2026.
- ↑ "Profile of Catch the Eye". Equibase. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
- ↑ "Stark Contrast Prevails to Win Zuma Beach; Brave Deb shows new dimension in Surfer Girl Stakes (G3T) win". bloodhorse.com. Santa Anita Park. October 5, 2025. Retrieved May 6, 2026.
- ↑ "Chart for August 3, 2025 at Del Mar (Maiden Special Weight – race 1)" (PDF). equibase.com. August 3, 2025. Retrieved May 5, 2026.
- ↑ "Chart for September 6, 2025 at Del Mar (Maiden Special Weight – race 3)" (PDF). www.equibase.com. September 6, 2025. Retrieved May 5, 2026.
- ↑ "2025 Zuma Beach Stakes Grade 3 – (race 4)". Equibase. October 5, 2025. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
- ↑ "2025 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Grade 1 – (race 10)" (PDF). Equibase. 31 October 2025. Retrieved May 5, 2026.
- ↑ "2026 Eddie Logan Stakes Listed – (race 3)" (PDF). Equibase. 8 January 2026. Retrieved May 5, 2026.
- ↑ "2026 Jeff Ruby Steaks Grade 3 – (race 12)" (PDF). Equibase. 21 March 2026. Retrieved 29 March 2026.
- ↑ "American Turf Stakes Grade 1 - (race 9)" (PDF). Equibase. May 2, 2026. Retrieved May 5, 2026.
- ↑ "Thoroughbred Bloodlines - Lady Lumley - Family 4-j". Bloodlines.net. Archived from the original on 2013-05-10. Retrieved 2013-10-28.