Vinery shuttler Big Brown is on the brink of more black-type victories in North America and Europe.

His Stateside colts Tiger Bourbon and D’Wildcat’s half brother Always Curious will target black-type on grass during the current summer meet at Saratoga.  And his Ballydoyle-based star Darwin has been nominated for a variety of stakes races in England, Ireland and France in the next month.

Tiger Bourbon (2c Big Brown – Tigresa by Tejano) has arrived at Saratoga after a winning debut on grass at Belmont on July 12.  WATCH RACE HERE. The Eddie Kenneally trained chestnut reeled off 800 metres in 48 seconds at trackwork last Thursday morning.

Tiger Bourbon was initially heading to the G2 Saratoga Special on dirt next Sunday (August 11) until connections changed tack.  “We will go shopping for a sprint on turf instead,” assistant trainer George Scott said.  “We like him a lot.  He’s grown and we couldn’t be happier with the progress he’s made.  We wanted to run him at Saratoga and we wanted to stick to the grass.

“Being by Big Brown, and the way he gets across the surface, we think he’s a grass horse,” Scott continued . “He did very well to win first time out because he wasn’t a horse we had really drilled.  He came naturally.  He wanted to run and he’s a real fighter.  That’s why we love him.”

Tiger Bourbon is a late April foal and his older half-sister War Tigress (War Chant) was a juvenile stakes winner of the Caressing Hcp at Churchill Downs.

 

Saratoga is also the destination for Big Brown colt Always Curious who was an awesome winner on turf at Colonial Downs on July 13.

His second-start victory over 1700m was a highlight of the Virginia Derby meeting.  Seemingly out of contention on the corner, he launched a paralysing sprint to claim front-runner Afleet Bandit right on the line.

Always Curious (3c Big Brown – D’Enough by D’Accord) is raced by Maryland based Sagamore Farm and was a $150,000 buy at the 2011 Keeneland September yearling sale.  He is a half-brother to Group 1 racehorse and sire D’Wildcat.

 

Ballydoyle trainer Aidan O’Brien is considering his options with Darwin after the colt’s last start victory in the G3 The Minstrel Stakes at the Curragh.

Darwin (3c Big Brown – Cool Ghoul by Silver Ghost) holds nominations for 9 Group races in UK-Ireland between the G3 Royal Whip Stakes at the Curragh (August 11) and the G2 Park Stakes at Doncaster (September 14).

O’Brien is also on the lookout for a suitable race at Deauville.

 

Big Brown will stand for a $22,000 (inc gst) fee at Vinery this year.