Bomber Brown begins what’s shaping up as a ground-breaking season for his sire Big Brown at Rosehill on Monday morning.
Trainer David Payne has nominated Bomber Brown for a barrier trial over 1030m. It will be the gelding’s first run back since winning at Rosehill in May. “He has improved again off that break,” Payne said. “I don’t think heading for the classics is aiming too high.”
Bomber Brown will be set for the G1 Spring Champion Stakes at Randwick and, all going well, the G1 Victorian Derby at Flemington. “We will wait until after the trial before deciding where to kick off,” Payne added. “I might give a couple of hit-outs before going to the races.
“His father won a Kentucky Derby and we know he’s tough enough to get the trip in the Derby.”
Payne’s prospect leads the first crop of Big Browns bred at Vinery Stud – there have been 8 individual winners to date and 4 of them are out of Danehill line mares. So is his Adelaide filly Wroclaw who was stakes placed in the Dequetteville and Queen Adelaide Stakes in April.
The Big Browns are breaking out around the racing world.
NZ trainer Alan Tait has his exciting Big Brown juvenile Southern Icon ready to step up to Listed company in the Ryder Stakes at Otaki on Saturday, July 26.
Southern Icon won on debut at Ruakaka in May and there were lots of excuses after a last-start second in the Red Giant 2YO Challenge.
The Matamata horseman is already looking ahead to the G2 Hawkes Bay Guineas and a possible trip across the Tasman. “I’m very happy with him,” Tait said. “If he’s as good as I think he is, then he will go to Australia.”
Big Brown got him from a half-sister to Zabeel’s Group 1 winner stayer Greene Street.
IRISH import Darwin (USA) is back on track after winning LR Belgrave Stakes (1200m) Ireland on July 12.
The Big Brown colt arrived at Ballydoyle with big wraps from North America last year. He won the G3 The Minstrel Stakes at the Curragh in July but was still a work in progress.
“He came to us with a massive reputation,” Ballydoyle trainer Aidan O’Brien said. “Todd Pletcher was jumping around the place after he won his maiden in New York.”
O’Brien has nominated Darwin for the G1 Sussex Stakes at Goodwood but more likely he will be reserved for August assignments in the G3 Phoenix Sprint at the Curragh or G3 Desmond Stakes at Leopardstown.
BRAZILIAN colt Big Wildcat became the 8th stakes winner by Big Brown in the G3 Grande Premio Presidente Vargas in Rio de Janeiro last Saturday night.
Big Wildcat (USA) controlled the race up front and cruised to a four-length victory over Carrocel Encantado (Elusive Quality). It was his fourth wins in 14 starts and he was also placed in the G1 Grande Premio Presidente Da Republica in June.
JAPAN’S industry leader Shadai Farm has a promising Big Brown homebred named Seaside Bound. He won last time out over 1700m at Hakodate with a finishing burst that indicated there are longer trips ahead.
Katsumi Yoshida bought his dam Stardom Bound privately after an Eclipse Award winning career that included the G1 Las Virgenes Stakes & G1 Santa Anita Oaks.
Seaside Bound maintained Big Brown’s perfect record in Japan with 5 winners from 5 to race.
SOUTH AFRICAN champion Mike de Kock produced Big Brown’s latest two year-old winner at Vaal on Tuesday. His colt Masnoon broke through second time out in the August Maiden Stakes.
Masnoon is from G2 Sandown Guineas winner Moon Dragon. He cost Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa $150,000 at the 2013 Inglis Easter yearling sale.
USA statistics put Big Brown among the Top 10 third-season sires this year with 38 winners of $1.75 million.
There have been 5 stakes winners this term which is only bettered by Curlin in that division. His colt Ground Transport made it back-to-back stakes wins in the LR Drosselmeyer Stakes (1800m) in New York in May.
Big Brown followed up in June with two runaway maiden winners – Polyushko won by 4 lengths at Gulfstream Park and For Goodness Sakes bolted in by 7 lengths at Churchill Downs.
Big Brown returns to Vinery for a $16,500 (inc gst) fee this year.