A review of the rest of the action from Saturday's meeting at the Curragh where Little Big Bear took centre stage.
O'Brien thinking big with Little Big Bear
Little Big Bear backed up his Royal Ascot victory in style when an impressive winner of the Jebel Ali Racecourse And Stables Anglesey Stakes at the Curragh on Saturday.
Always to the fore in the hands of big-race pilot Ryan Moore, the son of No Nay Never made light work of this return to six furlongs, showing a blistering turn of foot to scorch clear of the pack and register a four-and-three-quarter-length triumph.
It was the two-year-old’s first win at Group level and third straight victory, with his sole defeat coming on debut. Attentions now turn to what the talented colt could do next, with O’Brien stating Moore believes seven furlongs is well within range for the strapping youngster.
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“We’re delighted with him. He’s always shown a lot, he came here the first day and then improved lovely to win the next day,” said O’Brien. “Obviously we were delighted with him in Ascot and he was lovely here today, Ryan was very happy with him.
“He’s a lovely, smooth traveller, he’s very uncomplicated. 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. You’d have to be very happy with him.
“Even though he’s big, he’s very strong and mature, he’s powerful. We’ve always liked him a lot and from day one he was always showing plenty.
“Interestingly Ryan said today that he could be a Dewhurst horse or a National Stakes horse. Obviously he’s running through the line when he’s saying that. That’s a good sign.”
When asked if he sees him as a Guineas horse, O’Brien added: “You’d have to, 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. Hopefully if everything is well that’s what we’d love to do
Andersen kicks-off Ballydoyle double
O’Brien was also on the scoresheet in the Juddmonte Farms Expert Eye Irish EBF for the sixth time in 10 years when Hans Andersen ran out a decisive winner in the opener.
An eyecatching second on debut at Tipperary, the smartly-bred son of Frankel thrived for encountering good ground for the first time, the 450,000 guineas buy making all to score by almost two lengths from the fast-finishing Al Riffa.
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“He should have no problem stepping into stakes company now. He should have no problem going further but there is no rush to step him up. He could come back here for the Futurity or something like that.”
Wagyu scorches to Scurry success
John Quinn’s Mr Wagyu made a successful raid on the Paddy Power Scurry Handicap at the Curragh on Saturday.
Sent off the 5/1 joint-favourite, the winner was up with the pace in the centre of the track and showed plenty of guts to repel the challenge of Charles O’Brien’s Big Gossey, who had to settle for the silver medal.
Mr Wagyu was recording his second win of the season, with the versatile seven-year-old also scoring over seven furlongs at Epsom on Derby Day and this victory on his travels, which comes on the back of a respectable fourth behind Rohaan in the Wokingham Stakes at Royal Ascot.
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Discover Sporting Life Plus BenefitsBetfair responded to the victory by shortening Mr Wagyu to 8/1 from 14/1 for the Stewards’ Cup at Goodwood, but assistant trainer Sean Quinn was thinking a bit further down the road after the race.
He said: “He’s a horse that every year you get to June and he comes to himself. I don’t know why but he’s never won before June in his life. June and July seem to be his months and that was fantastic.
“We’ve a conundrum in September, a nice problem. He ran so well in the Ayr Gold Cup last year when he was third, but you’ve got the Bold Lad back here on Champions Weekend and they are only six days apart. I’ll leave that to the lads and they can make the decision.”