Little Big Bear (evens favourite) bounced back to form with a scintillating success in the Betfred Nifty Fifty Sandy Lane Stakes at Haydock Park.
And now Aidan O'Brien's No Nay Never colt will head to next month's Royal Ascot as the hot favourite – he is a best-priced 5-2 with Coral – for the Group One Commonwealth Cup. Little Big Bear had been a superb winner over the same six-furlong trip in the Group One Keeneland Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh during his juvenile campaign last July, having also scored over the minimum distance in the Listed Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot the previous month. He didn't run again as a two-year-old due to injury and returned to bid for Classic glory at Newmarket earlier this month. As connections may have suspected he didn’t stay over the mile trip in the QIPCO 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket, so Little Big Bear was dropped back in trip at Haydock. And on fast ground on Merseyside, he resumed winning ways under Frankie Dettori, scoring by a comfortable length-and-a-quarter from Shouldvebeenaring (11-1) with Royal Ascot winner from last season, Bradsell (5-1), a massive eight lengths back in third. Dettori had Little Big Bear cruising near the head of affairs on the stands' side. He was always travelling well and when the Italian pushed him to the front he cruised to easy victory. Back down the sprinting route, the champion two-year-old will be hard to beat in the Commonwealth Cup next month.
Dettori, who was standing in for Ryan Moore who was at the Curragh where he won the Irish 2,000 Guineas for O'Brien aboard Paddington, said: "Aidan got in touch with me 10 days ago and I said 'yeah, I would love to ride the horse', but I didn't know where I was going to be. Very kindly they held on for me, I was on the phone on Sunday and said 'listen, I'm going to Haydock'.
"He looked magnificent today. I guess they had to try the Guineas, it was too long (a mile) and it didn't work out, but he won in good style today. I always had the race covered, he quickened up well under hands and heels and it's a good confidence booster before the Commonwealth Cup. I don't know what the line-up will be, but he was champion two-year-old, he has big figures and has come back to his best today, so he'll be the favourite."
It was a good day for Dettori at Haydock as he also triumphed on board the John and Thady Gosden-trained Covey (6-4 favourite) in the Betfred Silver Bowl Handicap.
The three-year-old son of Frankel is also set for next month's Royal Ascot and could run in either the Britannia Stakes over a mile or step back to seven furlongs in the Group Three Jersey Stakes. The improving Covey made it three wins in a row following earlier successes at Newmarket last month and on the all-weather at Newcastle at the start of this month. Under Dettori, Covey was sent straight into the lead and didn't see another rival. Dictating the pace, Covey was a length ahead of the pack for much of the race and then two furlongs from home Dettori kicked further clear and eventually came home an impressive winner, three-and-a-quarter lengths ahead of Royal Cape (7-1) with Metal Merchant (22-1) a further neck adrift in third.
Dettori, who is in his final season before retirement, treated the Haydock racegoers to his famous flying dismount from Covey in the winner's enclosure. The popular Italian will bid for a third Betfred Derby victory at Epsom next Saturday with Chester Vase winner Arrest in the same green, pink and white colours of owners Juddmonte in seven days. And he said: "He is going the right way. He was a difficult horse six months ago. He ran off the gallop with me in October. But he is getting his act together. He is improving all the time. I guess the Britannia (Stakes) or the Jersey (Stakes) at Royal Ascot would be on the agenda. You always need a decent horse to win this kind of race."
Hollie Doyle stepped in for the absent Neil Callan and partnered Solent Gateway (3-1) to an all-the-way victory in the Betfred TV Hell Nook Handicap. The leading jockey was partnering the four-year-old, who is trained by Hugo Palmer at former Liverpool FC and England striker Michael Owen's Manor House Stables in nearby Cheshire, for the first time due to intended pilot Callan not making it to Haydock as he was stuck in motorway traffic. And Doyle wasn't hanging about as she sent Solent Gateway straight into the lead and made all the running in the extended two-mile contest. Although the pack, including 2-1 favourite Law Of The Sea under William Buick, tried to close in after the final turn for home, Doyle kicked a couple of lengths clear coming into the final two furlongs. The pair held on well to score by three-quarters-of-a-length from Law Of The Sea with Themaxwecan (10-1) a further two-and-three-quarter-lengths back in third.
Paddy Power cut Solent Gateway to 14-1 from 25-1 for next month's Northumberland Plate at Newcastle after the victory. Trainer Palmer was not at Haydock but stayed close to home at Chester. But winning rider Doyle said: "Neil got stuck in the traffic and I was probably the only one left in the weighing room. I know the horse quite well because I have ridden against him a few times. But I just did what I was told by the boss (trainer Hugo Palmer)."
Mick Appleby's In The Breeze (9-2) swooped down the outside to grab victory in the opener, the Betfred Supports Jack Berry House Florida Handicap. Under Ray Dawson, the five-year-old was sat towards the rear for much of the 1m4f contest as outsider Swift Tuttle (50-1), under Alistair Rawlinson, made much of the running, with 9-4 favourite Auld Toon Loon close up in second for a long way. But coming into the final two furlongs, the pack started to close in. Having brushed off Auld Toon Loon, Swift Tuttle looked like he would hold on. But first C'Mon Kenny (3-1) came to challenge, before In The Breeze timed his run to perfection just getting up in the shadow of the winning post to score by a neck from Swift Tuttle with C'Mon Kenny half-a-length further back in third.
Appleby said: "He is a bit highly strung so you just have to keep a lid on him. Ray has given him a great ride. When they were absolutely crawling (early on) it is not going to suit us here – it may turn into a sprint. But he has got the job done well. He just needs to relax. We haven't had many winners recently. We have been knocking on the door. We had a very busy winter so you expect to have a bit of quiet time, but it was a bit longer than normal."
