Blow For Watson As Bradsell Ruled Out For The Season With Injury

Bradsell (GB) (Tasleet {GB}), the brilliant G2 Coventry S. winner, has been ruled out for the rest of the season after picking up an injury in the G1 Phoenix S. at the Curragh on Saturday. 

Sent off favourite in that race, Bradsell stumbled leaving the stalls under Hollie Doyle and could only manage fourth behind the ultra-impressive Little Big Bear (Ire) (No Nay Never).

The injury was confirmed by the colt's trainer Archie Watson, who told the Racing Post, “Bradsell unfortunately sustained a season-ending injury in the Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh on Saturday. 

“I would like to thank the team at Sycamore Lodge Equine Hospital for their excellent veterinary care and attention.”

He added, “I am naturally very disappointed for Victorious Racing and all the team at Saxon Gate but we look forward to having him back on the racecourse in 2023.”

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Tim Hyde Jnr: ‘I Watched Little Big Bear win on my phone at Wexford Racecourse’

When you run a breeding operation as successful as Camas Park Stud, victories on the biggest stage are expected, but that doesn't make top-level triumphs any less special.

Capri (Ire), Highland Reel (Ire), Nyquist and No Nay Never were all either bred or pinhooked under the banner of the Cashel-based stud, run by Tim Hyde and his son Tim Jnr, who were once again put in lights at Royal Ascot when Little Big Bear (Ire) (No Nay Never) stormed to victory in the Listed Windsor Castle S. on Wednesday.

Away from all the bright lights and razzmatazz of the royal meeting, Hyde Jnr watched Little Big Bear score for Aidan O'Brien and Ryan Moore on his phone at Wexford racecourse, just under an hour before sending out Mind Your Money (GB) (Kayf Tara {GB}) to finish second in a novice hurdle at the track.

Speaking on Thursday morning, Hyde Jnr said, “It's great to breed a horse who can do what he did and hopefully he can go on.

“He's a very talented horse and it looks like he will stay six furlongs as well. I'd be hoping he'll go for the [G1] Phoenix S. or the [G1] Prix Morny. It's an easy six [furlongs] in the Prix Morny.”

Hyde added, “I was actually at Wexford yesterday [Wednesday] with Mind Your Money. She ran a blinder to finish second. I watched it on the phone in my car.”

There was a kaleidoscope of emotion surrounding the victory of Little Big Bear. The win was made extra special by the fact that Hyde Snr pinhooked the sire, No Nay Never, however, the result was also tinged in sadness by the fact the stud lost the dam Adventure Seeker (Fr) (Bering {GB}) during foaling this year.

Hyde Jnr said, “We bred Ten Sovereigns here, which was brilliant, and we've bred a lot of good horses over the years. Little Big Bear is special because we have a good association with No Nay Never. Dad was involved in pinhooking No Nay Never and kept an interest in him so we have bred quite a lot of mares to him.”

He added, “Unfortunately we lost the dam foaling this year. She has a yearling colt and a colt foal on the ground, both by No Nay Never. The yearling is likely to be going to Part 1 at Newmarket and the foal is also very nice.

“Little Big Bear was a beautiful looking horse–a real beast. He was much more powerful and bigger than any of the other yearlings in that crop. He always stood out.”

The Hydes may not be finished at Royal Ascot yet. Prosperous Voyage (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}), last seen finishing a neck second in the 1000 Guineas, is another to come off the Camas Park conveyor belt and rates a leading player in Friday's G1 Coronation S.

“There was only a neck between Prosperous Voyage and Cachet (Ire) (Aclaim {Ire}) at Newmarket and there was only a head between Cachet and Mangoustine (Fr) (Dark Angel {Ire}) in the French Guineas and none of them are favourite. It's going to be a hell of a race.”

He added, “My brother-in-law, Norman Williamson, sold the winner [Eldar Eldarov (GB) (Dubawi {Ire})] of the [G2] Queen's Vase. I had a share in him as well and we breezed him. It's been a very good week.”

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The Major Talking Points From Day Two at Royal Ascot

From State Of Rest (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) silencing his doubters once again to Irad Ortiz's week going from bad to worse, there was plenty to digest from day two at Royal Ascot. Brian Sheerin fleshed out the main talking points from another thrilling day's action. 

Eldar Eldarov Owner is Living the Dream 

HH Shaikh Khalid, owner of Eldar Eldarov (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), told ITV Racing that his dream in racing is to find a horse good enough to stand as a stallion. Eldar Eldarov could well be up to fulfilling that dream one day judging by his hard-fought victory in the G2 Queen's Vase.

What do breeders want in a stallion? A horse who showed class on the track, but also one who had a will to win and was tough. Eldar Eldarov displayed all of those qualities in keeping his unbeaten record intact by snaring Zechariah (Ire) (Nathaniel) in the final strides.

Kew Gardens (Ire), Stradivarius (Ire) and Leading Light (Ire) all feature among the roll of honour for the Queen's Vase throughout the past decade and it's safe to assume that Eldar Eldarov will go down as one of the better winners of the 1 3/4-mile contest given the victory represented just the third start of his career.

Eldar Eldarov looks sure to develop further as a stayer and is likely to take high rank in the G1 St Leger at Doncaster later in the season. 

It should also be noted that this horse had an abundance of options throughout the week but Roger Varian and his team chose correctly as the step up in trip has clearly seen him in an even greater light. 

He looks a smart horse in the making and, if successful in the St Leger, will go some way in delivering his owner's dream.

Time to Give State Of Rest the Respect he Deserves

What on earth does State Of Rest have to do to start getting the respect he deserves? Here is a horse who has won Group/Grade 1 races in America, Australia and France, yet he was allowed to go off at odds just shy of 10-1 on the World Pool and returned 5-1 in a five-runner Prince Of Wales's S.

Of course, this is all being said with a heavy helping of hindsight, because State Of Rest needed to bounce back from a below-par effort in the G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh, when the race didn't go to plan. 

Like State Of Rest, Shane Crosse had a few questions to answer after that third-place effort behind Alenquer (Fr) (Adlerflug {Ger}), and he did just that with an exhibition in front-running riding. 

Crosse got the fractions right and saved enough to fend off Bay Bridge (GB) (New Bay {Ire}) who, despite having much more to prove than State Of Rest, was sent to post a 10-11 favourite. 

It's hard to imagine what more State Of Rest needs to do to start getting the credit he deserves. He has been brilliantly handled by Joseph O'Brien to win four races at the highest level–in three different continents–and it's about time he started getting the credit for being the top-notcher that he is. 

From Bad to Worse for Ortiz

Wesley Ward made a big call last week in pledging his Royal Ascot allegiance to Irad Ortiz, in doing so relegating leading European riders like Frankie Dettori to the substitutes bench.

The pair got off to a difficult start on Tuesday when Golden Pal (Uncle Mo) missed the kick completely in the G1 King's Stand S. before trailing home in last position, after which, Ortiz revealed he was looking at the withdrawn Mondammej (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) when the gates opened. 

Things went from bad to worse on Wednesday when Ortiz picked up a five-day ban for careless riding for a dangerous maneuver aboard Love Reigns (Ire) (US Navy Flag) in the G2 Queen Mary S. 

Unlike Golden Pal, Love Reigns broke like a bullet from the stalls in the Queen Mary S., but Ortiz then allowed the filly to drift across to her left, forcing leading fancy Katey Kontent (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}) off her running line. 

Love Reigns could only manage fourth behind the hugely impressive Dramatised (Ire) (Showcasing {GB}) and the stewards took a dim view of Ortiz's riding at the start of the race by dishing out that ban. 

Luckily for the top American-based rider, he has a number of chances to redeem himself, including with Campanelle (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) in the G1 Commonwealth Cup on Friday. 

Predictably, many people made the argument that a seasoned professional like Dettori, who knows Ascot better than most, would never make the same mistake at the gates as Ortiz did aboard Golden Pal.

Therefore, there was a certain irony that Lord North (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire})'s bid for Prince Of Wales's glory was all but over after Dettori failed to move the blindfold in time, costing John and Thady Gosden's charge valuable lengths at the start.

Turns out all of these top jockeys are human, eh?

Big Bear an Important Ballydoyle Winner

Little Big Bear (Ire) (No Nay Never) ran out an important winner of the Listed Windsor Castle S. for Aidan O'Brien, who had sent out 21 runners since recording his last winner, no less than Tuesday (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the G1 Oaks.

There has been a school of thought that O'Brien has been dealing with an above average bunch of 2-year-olds this season, evidenced by the fact that he has sent out 13 winners from 26 runners domestically, which equates to a whopping 50% strike-rate.

Blackbeard (Ire) (No Nay Never) ran a perfectly respectable race when fourth in the G2 Coventry S. on Tuesday but nothing beats a winner and the success of Little Big Bear will provide the Ballydoyle team with confidence heading into the rest of the week. 

O'Brien has The Antarctic (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), a brother to Battaash, to look forward to in the G2 Norfolk S. on Thursday while Meditate (Ire) (No Nay Never) is likely to go off a short-priced favourite for the G3 Albany S.

It may have taken the O'Brien team a little time to click into gear at the royal meeting this year but it will be a surprise if the success of Little Big Bear is not built upon. 

TDN Rising Stars Come Of Age

There is an old saying that self praise is no praise but, in the case of the TDN's 'Rising Stars', the hugely popular designation is showing a 100% strike-rate in the juvenile races at the royal meeting thus far. 

Impressive G2 Coventry S. winner Bradsell (GB) (Tasleet {GB}), G2 Queen Mary heroine Dramatised and the Windsor Castle hero Little Big Bear were all flagged as 'TDN Rising Stars'. Don't say you weren't told. 

 

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