By Tom Frary
He had already looked one of Ballydoyle's brightest prospects prior to Saturday's G3 Jebel Ali Racecourse And Stables Anglesey S., but TDN Rising Star Little Big Bear (Ire) (No Nay Never) now looks the real deal after running away with The Curragh's juvenile staging post. Withdrawn from the G2 July S. when the ground got too quick at Newmarket, the June 15 Listed Windsor Castle S. winner led all bar the rail-running Kodi Noir (Ire) (Kessaar {Ire}) throughout the early stages with that outsider on borrowed time. Asked to pick up heading to two out, the 2-5 favourite drew away in impressive fashion to register a 4 3/4-length verdict over Yosemite Valley (GB) (Shamardal), with the filly Badb (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}) half a length away in third.
Little Big Bear is brilliant in the Anglesey to complete a quickfire double for @Ballydoyle & Ryan Moore at the @curraghrace
Four runs
Three wins
G3 Jebel Ali Racecourse & Stables Anglesey Stakes
Listed Windsor Castle Stakes
€320,000 purchase
Some prospect pic.twitter.com/2yK4aaHjSM— Racing TV (@RacingTV) July 16, 2022
“He's always shown a lot and is a lovely smooth traveller who's very uncomplicated,” commented Aidan O'Brien, who was recording a 12th success in this race and putting him one behind the late great Vincent O'Brien. “He's very happy to make the running and very happy to sit in. Ryan said he couldn't believe how easily he was going down past the two today. He said when he asked him the response was very quick. Even though he's big, he's very strong and mature, he's powerful. Interestingly, Ryan said today that he could be a Dewhurst horse or a National Stakes horse. Obviously he's running through the line and that's a good sign. You'd have to have him as a Guineas horse, definitely at the moment. When they feel like they are going to get seven at two they usually get a mile at three. He could obviously come back here for the Phoenix Stakes, that would be the plan and that's what we were thinking coming here today.”
Little Big Bear looks like a potential miler on racing style and on pedigree, being out of the Listed Prix de Liancourt winner and G3 Prix Cleopatre runner-up and and GI E P Taylor S. fourth Adventure Seeker (Fr) (Bering {GB}) who produced the G3 Hobart Cup runner-up Andrea Mantegna (Giant's Causeway). A half to the G3 Princess Margaret S.-placed Along Again (Ire) (Elusive City), she is a granddaughter of the legendary All Along (Fr), the French champion and US Horse of the Year in 1983 courtesy of her G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, GI Turf Classic, G1 Rothmans International and GI Washington D. C. International victories. Adventure Seeker's yearling is a full-brother to Little Big Bear.
Sunday, The Curragh, Ireland
JEBEL ALI RACECOURSE & STABLES ANGLESEY S.-G3, €65,450, Curragh, 7-16, 2yo, 6f 66yT, 1:17.82, gd.
1–LITTLE BIG BEAR (IRE), 131, c, 2, by No Nay Never
1st Dam: Adventure Seeker (Fr) (SW & GSP-Fr, $155,312), by Bering (GB)
2nd Dam: American Adventure, by Miswaki
3rd Dam: All Along (Fr), by Targowice
1ST GROUP WIN. (€320,000 Ylg '21 ARAUG). O-D Smith,Mrs J Magnier,M Tabor,Westerberg; B-Camas Park Stud & Summerhill (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien; J-Ryan Moore. €33,000. Lifetime Record: SW-Eng, 4-3-1-0, $117,946. *1/2 to Andrea Mantegna (Giant's Causeway), GSP-Aus, $352,585. Werk Nick Rating: C. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Yosemite Valley (GB), 131, c, 2, Shamardal–That Which Is Not, by Elusive Quality.
1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. O/B-Flaxman Stables Ireland Ltd. (GB); T-Donnacha O'Brien. €11,000.
3–Badb (Ire), 128, f, 2, Footstepsinthesand (GB)–Belong (Ire), by Fastnet Rock (Aus). O/B-Mrs Ann Marie O'Brien (IRE); T-Donnacha O'Brien. €5,500.
Margins: 4 3/4, HF, HD. Odds: 0.40, 9.00, 6.00.
Also Ran: Slan Abhaile (Ire), Thunderbear (Ire), Kodi Noir (Ire). Scratched: Voce Del Palio (Ire). Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
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