Big Evs© Photo Healy Racing
Big Evs booked his ticket to Royal Ascot when making a most satisfactory return to the track in the British Stallion Studs EBF Westow Stakes at York.
Mick Appleby’s stable star enjoyed an exceptional juvenile season and having won the Windsor Castle, Molecomb and Flying Childers on home soil, ended his two-year-old campaign with a victory at the highest level at the Breeders’ Cup.
His connections came back to Listed level for his three-year-old return on the Knavesmire and he corrected the record of his Nunthorpe disappointment at this track to continue his winning thread.
Sent off the 4-7 favourite in the hands of Tom Marquand, his jockey was in no rush, dropping the son of Blue Point in during the early stages.
However, he soon gave a glimpse of the speed that made him such a top-class performer last term, powering to the head of proceedings and keeping on for a cosy success over the game runner-up Sommelier.
The King Charles III Stakes at Royal Ascot has always been Big Evs’ main summer target and connections can now look forward to ordering their top hats as his big-race jockey brought up a treble on the day.
Appleby said: “He’s probably half-missed the break as he was a bit buzzy in the stalls and kind of fell out really, but Tom gave him a great ride and he won it well in the end.
“He’ll come on for that run, we didn’t have him fully primed up for this.
“We already said we’d probably miss the Temple Stakes at Haydock and go straight to Royal Ascot with him. We obviously tried the Nunthorpe with him here last year as a two-year-old and it didn’t work out, but I think we’d probably like to try again.
“Going from two to three you never really know until you get them out there, but he was still showing us the signs at home and he’s gone and done it on the track now, so he’s still got it there.
“It will be the King’s Stand (King Charles III Stakes) next I think.”
