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Coolmore has announced the retirement of Group 1 winner Little Big Bear.
The three-year-old suffered a condylar fracture on the right front fetlock in the lead-up to the Prix Maurice de Gheest, which caused the colt to be withdrawn 24 hours after he was supplemented for the French Group 1.
Trained by Aidan O'Brien, Little Big Bear recorded four straight victories as a juvenile, including the Listed Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot and the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh.
Crowned Champion Two-Year-Old in Europe at the end of 2022, the son of No Nay Never returned with a disappointing run in the 2000 Guineas but bounced back with a victory in the Group 2 Sandy Lane Stakes at Haydock Park, back over his preferred six furlongs.
He produced an excellent performance at Royal Ascot again, finishing a brave runner-up behind subsequent July Cup winner Shaquille in the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup.
In a statement on the Coolmore website, O'Brien said: "Little Big Bear is a super horse; that's the long and the short of it.
"Different class, different gear and matured very early for a big horse.
"He's big, scopey, strong, clear winded and very, very fast – a class sprinter."