Haydock Saturday

LITTLE Big Bear was one of a pair of fancied runners to disappoint Aidan O’Brien in the 2000 Guineas, and the Ballydoyle handler must have been delighted – with one eye on Auguste Rodin’s Epsom’s challenge – to see his colt bounce right back to his best to land the Group 2 Sandy Lane Stakes at Haydock last Saturday, beating Shouldvebeenaring (Richard Hannon/Sean Levey) by a length and a quarter, with the pair pulling eight lengths clear of 2022 Coventry Stakes winner Bradsell (Archie Watson/Hollie Doyle).

Crowned champion juvenile last year on the strength of a spectacular success in the Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh, Little Big Bear has always looked a horse who would excel at sprint trips, but he was beaten before stamina came into play in the 2000 Guineas, with his trainer inclined to blame a change in travelling procedure for his Newmarket runners failing to fire, calling the whole episode “a non-event”.

Few would have the patience to draw a line through such disappointment and rebuild so quickly, but O’Brien – as has been seen countless times before – is made of rare stuff.

Travelling strongly

Little Big Bear – the even-money favourite - shrugged aside his disappointing effort just three weeks on, travelling strongly under Frankie Dettori and finishing with a powerful kick up the stands rail, which proved to be an advantageous position as the afternoon wore on.

He put the race to bed quickly just over a furlong from home and was merely nudged out to maintain an advantage over the strong-finishing runner-up.

Dettori said: “He looked magnificent today. I guess they had to try the Guineas, it was too long, and it didn’t work out, but he won in good style today. I always had the race covered, he quickened up well under hands and heels and it’s a good confidence booster before the Commonwealth Cup.

“I don’t know what the line-up will be, but he was champion two-year-old, he has big figures and has come back to his best today, so he’ll be the favourite.”

ON a day where rumblings over uneven watering were a familiar theme, Dramatised showed herself a sprinter with a big future when unleashing a powerful late surge to win the Group 2 Temple Stakes at Haydock, beating Equilateral (Charlie Hills/Frankie Dettori) and Live In The Dream (Adam West/Sean Kirrane) by a length and half a length.

Runner-up in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint in November, having won the Queen Mary at Royal Ascot, Dramatised was sent off the 4/1 favourite for trainer Karl Burke and jockey William Buick, with the return to five furlongs expected to suit her, and she did not disappoint her many fans.

Settled off a fast pace set by Live In The Dream and The Platinum Queen, Buick always looked comfortable, and when he gave his mount the office with a furlong to run, she took off, and quickly had the measure of the speedy Live The Dream.

Equilateral came with a late run in the centre of the course, but while he briefly threatened, he failed to land a telling blow, and the winner looked to score with something up her sleeve.

Burke said: “I think the rail was an advantage on the day, we knew Live In The Dream was going to go forward and we were just going to tag onto him.

“I told William to try and keep as close to the rail as he could and he rode his luck a little bit, but there was just enough room to force his way through there.

“It was always the plan to start her off here, unless it was very heavy ground, and the plan now is to go for the King’s Stand at Royal Ascot, then to York for the Nunthorpe and then back to America hopefully.”

“She’s always had plenty of speed and it’s been about keeping her lid on her, but she’s a lot more mature this year. A trip to the Breeders’ Cup made her grow up. William has never sat on her before, but he said she was a little bit rusty and took a 100 yards to kick into top gear.

“We haven’t drilled her at home and I’m sure she’ll sharpen up from today. She deserves her shot at Group 1s and hopefully we can nick one.

York Saturday

THE feature at York last Saturday was the Group 3 Bronte Cup over the Ebor trip, and the race went to Ralph Beckett’s River Of Stars (Rossa Ryan), who proved very game in repelling the persistent challenge of uneasy favourite Mimikyu (John & Thady Gosden/Kieran O’Neill) by a short-head, with Voodoo Queen (Roger Varian/Andrea Atzeni) a further length behind in third in an enthralling contest.

The winner was well backed, going off a solid 4/1 shot, and she hit the front approaching the furlong marker, only to be challenged on both sides. She needed to dig deep to prevail and deserves credit for refusing to be passed in the dying strides.

The runner-up was uneasy in the market, but she ran with great credit given she had to concede a 5lb penalty for her success in the Park Hill Stakes at Doncaster in the autumn.

Round-Up

THERE were a couple of listed races at the “away” meetings on Saturday, with the six-furlong Cathedral Stakes at Salisbury won by Run To Freedom for Henry Candy and Trevor Whelan, the winner belatedly proving that his shock 150/1 second in the British Champions Sprint in October wasn’t flattering.

The five-year-old entire had fallen short at group level in the past, and a tendency to start slowly hasn’t helped, but he wasn’t winning this out of turn, and those who kept the faith were rewarded at an SP of 13/2.

At Goodwood, John & Thady Gosden’s Francesco Clemente was made a warm favourite for the Festival Stakes over a mile and a quarter, but he failed to master King Of Conquest (Appleby/Doyle) after running wide on the home bend, with the 4/1 chance battling willingly to repel the favourite’s late challenge by a neck.

The runner-up remains the most interesting of the pair going forward, this being his first run since last July, and he will benefit from a step up in trip.

John McConnell and jockey Ben Harvey were in fine form at Cartmel on Saturday evening, landing a double courtesy of Moon D’Orange in the maiden hurdle and Go Another One in the staying handicap chase, bringing his tally for the current season in Britain to four wins from just six runners.