Group 1 winner and 'TDN Rising Star' Little Big Bear (Ire) (No Nay Never) will be sidelined until the new year to give the colt “more time” to recover from a rear foot injury, according to trainer Aidan O'Brien. Just prior to his G1 Phoenix S. victory, the Coolmore partners' runner had kicked a wall, driving the clip of his shoe into his hind foot.
“Everything is fine and we just wanted to leave him for this year,” O'Brien told Racing Post on Tuesday. “He's perfect, there's not a bother on him, we just didn't want to be rushing him back. We had to give him plenty of time to get over it. We felt hurrying him for the [G1] Dewhurst [S. in October] wasn't the right thing to do.
“Everything is perfect with him and we felt giving him more time was the right option.”
Little Big Bear graduated at Naas at second asking in May, and then added the Listed Windsor Castle S. at Royal Ascot. In the July 16 G3 Anglesey S. at the Curragh, he drew off by 4 3/4 lengths, and he won the Phoenix S. by seven lengths on Aug. 6. His setback forced him to miss last Sunday's G1 National S.
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