Recent history augurs well for Phoenix rising star Little Big Bear

No Nay Never's progeny have tended to pick the right time to shine and that was certainly the case with Little Big Bear, whose exhilarating victory in Saturday's Keeneland Phoenix Stakes made him the fourth top-level winner for the Coolmore stallion.

The other two to have reached that Group 1 level in Europe are headed by the brilliant Alcohol Free, a Cheveley Park winner as a juvenile who later added the Coronation and Sussex Stakes and then this year's July Cup.

Ten Sovereigns, meanwhile, claimed the Middle Park at two and the July Cup as a three-year-old, so there can be hope that Aidan O'Brien's seven-length scorer has potential to go on during his Classic season.

There is certainly evidence for this on the dam's side of a colt bred in partnership by Summerhill and Camas Park Stud and sold for €320,000 as a yearling at Arqana last year to Mandore International, moving into the ownership of the Coolmore partners.

View the result and watch the race replay here

His dam Adventure Seeker is a Bering mare who won an extended mile and a quarter Listed race as a three-year-old and finished fourth in the E P Taylor Stakes at Woodbine for Alain de Royer Dupre.

Adventure Seeker was owned by the Wildenstein family and became available during the operation's dispersal in 2016.

Bloodstock agent Brendan Bashford signed for the grand-daughter of the exalted Arc winner All Along for €125,000 at Goffs when in foal to Siyouni.

Several of her progeny have been fairly successful at middle-distances but her current connections have cleverly worked out what clicks as Little Big Bear has a yearling full-brother to be offered by Camas Park at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale.

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