Go Bears Go Bids to Build on Strong Juvenile Season

Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G2T) runner-up Go Bears Go  looks to build on a superb juvenile season when he takes on four rivals April 27 in the Merriebelle Stables Commonwealth Cup Trial Stakes (G3) at Ascot.

Eqtidaar is the only horse to have run in this race before winning the Commonwealth Cup (G1). He finished second to Invincible Army in 2018 before going on to score at Royal Ascot at odds of 12-1 the following June.

Last year's winner Blue Point  was a far more talented runner, but suffered the misfortune of bumping into the Aidan O'Brien-trained Caravaggio at Royal Ascot.

Go Bears Go tops the ratings. He won a novice and was a narrow second in the Norfolk Stakes (G2), both over five furlongs at this track last year, before adding the Railway Stakes (G2) and a third in the Keeneland Phoenix Stakes (G3), then recovering from two off the board finishes in group 1 company at Newmarket to run second by a half-length to Twilight Gleaming  in his Breeders' Cup race at Del Mar.

"His work has been fine and he's done everything as we'd have wanted him to," trainer David Loughnane said of the Kodi Bear  colt. "He's one of those horses who doesn't give you a whole lot at home so you never know exactly how well he's going. But he did a very pleasing bit of work at Wolverhampton last week and he couldn't be in better shape. The main question now is whether he's trained on properly from 2 to 3, and we won't know until we run him."

Hierarchy  finished just a length behind in sixth in that Juvenile Turf Sprint for trainer Hugo Palmer, and if he breaks better this time he would surely have a sound chance at reversing his Mill Reef (G2) form with Clive Cox trainee Wings of War .

"It's a small field with five runners and a very interesting race," Palmer said. "He's a tough, good horse, and like all these horses by Mehmas he wears his heart on his sleeve. It's hard to assess as he always does his work without wowing us at home, but I'm happy with him."

Of Wings of War, Cox said: "He's done well physically over the winter. He has a Group 2 penalty for his success in the Mill Reef but I'm delighted to get him back on track and he'll be very much at home in the drying conditions. 

Space Cowboy is the sole race-fit horse in the field and could be the pace angle, but the surface is a question mark for him, and deeply impressive course-and-distance winner Ehraz would have claims if bouncing back from a deplorable run in the Acomb Stakes last time out for Richard Hannon.



"I was really disappointed when he ran in the Acomb Stakes because I couldn't see him getting beaten that day, but I think he's a very good horse. He won his novice stakes at Ascot by four lengths," Hannon remarked.