The first foal by Little Big Bear (Ire), Europe's champion juvenile of 2022, was born on Saturday when Unchained Melody (Ire), owned by Aidan and Annmarie O'Brien's Whisperview Trading Limited, produced a bay filly.
“She's a pretty filly with a good hind leg,” said Ana O'Brien. “[She's] a very good first foal and a great start for the mare. We're very happy with her and will definitely be supporting Little Big Bear again this year.”
Unchained Melody is a daughter of Fastnet Rock (Aus) and hails from the famed Ballymacoll family of Hellenic (Ire) (Darshaan {GB}) and Islington (Ire) (Sadler's Wells). Whisperview reportedly have three other mares due to Little Big Bear in the coming months, including the G3 Jersey Stakes winner Ishvana (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}).
Timeform's highest-rated juvenile in the past five years, Little Big Bear was awarded a rating of 126p following his seven-length success in the G1 Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh.
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