Big Mojo to be primed for Commonwealth Cup bid

Mick Appleby’s Big Mojo will likely step up to the six-furlong sprint division when he returns to action in the upcoming Flat season.

The colt began his career in July last year and made his second start at Goodwood’s key summer meeting when lining up for the Group Three Molecomb Stakes.

There he followed in the footsteps of his stablemate Big Evs, with whom he shares an owner, by coming home victorious in the five-furlong sprint event.

Big Mojo was subsequently the fourth-placed horse when running over six furlongs for the first time in the Gimcrack at York, after which he returned to the minimum trip to go down by just a neck in the Flying Childers at Doncaster.

He therefore fell just short in his bid to emulate Big Evs on Town Moor, and did so again when coming home fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Del Mar towards the end of the year.

Though he could not join Big Evs in securing that Grade One title, he ran with great credit in America and was beaten only a length to wrap up a productive juvenile campaign.

Appleby is pleased with how he has progressed since, emerging from his winter break in good form as Flat stables begin to stir ahead of the spring.

His three-year-old campaign is likely to see him depart from the path trodden by Big Evs, however, with Appleby expecting six furlongs to be his trip rather than the bare-minimum sprint distance of five.

“He’s coming on really well, we’re very pleased with him at home,” the trainer said.

“We’re thinking at the moment that we’ll probably head straight for the Commonwealth Cup.

“He got plenty of experience as a juvenile and he’s come out of the winter looking very well, he’s grown and matured nicely from two to three.

“We’re thinking he might be better at six this year rather than five – and if that’s the case, that will open more doors for him throughout the year.”