Big Evs gearing up for Breeders’ Cup challenge

Molly Hunter
October 3, 2023 3:57 pm

Juvenile Turf Sprint hopeful pleasing his trainer.

Mick Appleby’s Big Evs is revving up for his trip to Santa Anita to take on the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint.

The Blue Point colt has been a star of the juvenile sprint division this season, landing both the Windsor Castle at Royal Ascot and the Molecomb at Goodwood.

He took a steep step up to Group One level against older horses in the Nunthorpe at York and that did not pay off when he finished 14th, but against horses of his own age he bounced straight back to win the Flying Childers at Doncaster in good style.

The Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint was mentioned in the aftermath of the Nunthorpe disappointment and those plans were only further solidified when Big Evs returned to form on Town Moor.

The meeting is this year held at Santa Anita and after a brief break Big Evs is preparing to set sail for America, where he will spend a few days in quarantine before getting accustomed to the track ahead of the meeting.

Big Evs and Jason Hart (centre) coming home to win the Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot (David Davies/PA)

“He’s in good form, we’ve just freshened him up a bit and he seems in good order,” said Appleby.

“Hopefully he stays that way until he goes, he flies out on October 26.

“He’s got to have 48 hours in quarantine then he’ll be able to go out on track two or three times before the race.”

Big Evs will go for a racecourse gallop on British soil to get to grips with racing around a bend, something he has yet to encounter, but stalls work with the American-style starting bell will take place once he lands in the States.

“We’re going to take him for a racecourse gallop so we can run him around a bend, obviously he’s never raced around a bend before but I don’t think it’ll be an issue,” Appleby said.

“He’s got to do a bit of stalls work with a bell but I think we’re going to do that when he’s out there so he can get used to the stalls there.

“He’s doing very well and hopefully it’s all systems go.”