Read the Timeform report of the Phoenix Stakes, which was won in hugely impressive fashion by Little Big Bear.
A high-quality field went to post for the first two-year-old Group 1 of the year in Ireland, the quintet including the hitherto unbeaten Coventry winner, as well as winners of the July Stakes, Windsor Castle, Anglesey and Railway Stakes, and it threw up the best winner of this race in recent memory, Little Big Bear blitzing his rivals to give Aidan O'Brien an incredible seventeenth victory in the race.
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Little Big Bear proved himself a high-class juvenile in completing a four-timer in devastating fashion - a performance backed up by the clock - in control at every stage and making some smart rivals look ordinary; made running, travelled fluently, shaken up over a furlong out, forged clear; a physically imposing sort, he will be very hard to beat wherever he turns up next, a step up to seven furlongs unlikely to pose any problems on this evidence, though his trainer reportedly didn't rule out the intriguing prospect of dropping him back to five furlongs for the Nunthorpe Stakes.
Persian Force had no excuses, put firmly in his place by the deeply impressive winner having been virtually upsides that one entering the final quarter of a mile; close up, every chance two furlongs out, left behind by winner soon after, one paced.
Shartash ran at least as well in defeat as when winning the time before, ready for a step up in trip now and looking at least as good a long-term prospect as the pair he split here; chased leaders, outpaced two furlongs out, kept on well, took third close home.
Bradsell, whose Coventry form last time is working out particularly well, lost his unbeaten record, a stumble at the start offering some mitigation but unlikely to have finished any better than second in any case; stumbled start, in rear, good headway two furlongs out, challenged briefly a furlong out, effort flattened out; unfortunately, he was subsequently reported to have suffered an injury that will keep him out of action until next year.
Apache Outlaw was out of his depth in this company; mid-division, left behind over a furlong out.
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