Leading juvenile Little Big Bear to miss rest of the season
By Andy Stephens
Last Updated: Tue 5 Dec 2023
Leading two-year-old colt Little Big Bear will miss the rest of this season.
The runaway Phoenix Park Stakes winner was anot among the latest confirmations for the Dewhurst Stakes on Tuesday with Aidan O'Brien saying he does not want to rush his imposing youngster after a foot injury.
Little Big Bear kicked a wall before his emphatic Curragh success and O'Brien told Racing TV viewers at the time that he was likely to be "ouchy" in the proceeding days.
Nick Lightfoot studies the Phoenix Stakes
The setback meant the son of No Nay Never had to miss the National Stakes on Longines Irish Champions Weekend.
O'Brien told the Racing Post: "Everything is fine and we just wanted to leave him for this year.
"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 Dewhurst wasn't the right thing to do.
"Everything is perfect with him and we felt giving him more time was the right option."
Bradsell, the Coventry winner, was also injured in the Phoenix Stakes and subsequently ruled out for the season.
Little Big Bear boasts an official rating of 124 and could yet be crowned champion two-year-old, but he has been been pushed out to a best-priced 6-1 for the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket.
Several of O'Brien's 17 Phoenix Stakes winners have subsequently not gone on to great heights after promising much.
Alfred Nobel (2009) and Pedro The Great (2012) never ran again, while Fasliyev (1999), the brilliant Johanesburg (2001) and Holy Roman Empire (2006) didn't run as three-year-olds.
Spartacus (2002) and Air Force Blue (2015) did return the following year but proved big disappointments, while even Zoffany (2010) never won again.
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