Commissioning

Leading 1000 Guineas hope Commissioning (GB) has been retired after suffering a career-ending setback, according to John and Thady Gosden. She had been as short as 6-1 with some firms. John Gosden said, "Unfortunately Commissioning sustained an injury to her left hind fetlock. Despite being given time to heal, she has sadly not recovered sufficiently and the decision has been made to retire her from racing." The unbeaten daughter of Kingman (GB) signed off last season with an impressive victory in the G1 Fillies' Mile at Newmarket. All three of...

Little Big Bear (Ire) has been named Europe's champion juvenile for 2022 and becomes the 12th European champion 2-year-old to have been trained by Aidan O'Brien. The son of No Nay Never, who was bred by Camas Park Stud and Summerhill, achieved his top rating of 124 for his seven-length rout in the G1 Keeenland Phoenix S. at the Curragh. The victory was the culmination of four straight wins in five starts, including the Listed Windsor Castle S. at Royal Ascot and the G3 Anglesey S. "We always thought from...

For all that the annual parade of TDN Rising Stars is generally a formidable one, there are always those that just miss the cut and who forge on to bring that familiar sense of regret and longing from our team here. Of the Europeans who were closely considered but ultimately left out of the picture, none stings more than Ballydoyle's rugged Blackbeard (Ire) (No Nay Never), who first appeared in the five-furlong Dundalk maiden in early April won in the past by Scat Daddy's high-achieving Caravaggio and Skitter Scatter. Mostly...