Big Mojo bounces back to winning ways at the Curragh

Big Mojo made the most of having his sights lowered with victory in the FBD Hotels And Resorts Phoenix Sprint Stakes at the Curragh.

Mick Appleby’s star showed his worth at the highest level last season, winning the Sprint Cup at Haydock as well as finishing a neck second to No Half Measures in the July Cup at Newmarket.

The four-year-old has struggled so far this year, finishing down the field at York, Royal Ascot and on his second attempt at July Cup glory last month, but he had less on his plate in Ireland and stamped his class with a one-and-a-quarter-length verdict over Bucanero Fuerte under Tom Marquand.

A return to Haydock looks to be on the agenda, as does the Breeders’ Cup, and Appleby, saddling his first winner on Irish soil, said of the 5-4 favourite: “He’s done it well. We brought him here just to give him a bit more confidence really. I think he was just lacking a bit in confidence with the big races he’s run in.

“Now that he’s got his head back in front hopefully he’ll go and do it again. He’s as good as ever. He’s just got a bit more laid-back, like me! It’s hard to win these races.

“There are a lot of good sprinters about. He’s done it well enough. He only did what he wanted to do. There’s a lot more there.”

Michael O’Callaghan is confident Push The Boat Out can make his mark at a higher level following his successful debut in the Follow Us On Instagram @ GuidenstownStud Irish EBF Maiden.

Although not that well fancied in the market at 16-1, the Kodi Bear colt quickened smartly to record a comfortable victory under Colin Keane and it came as no surprise to his trainer.

O’Callaghan said: “He’s a horse we’ve held in high regard from the moment we got him, but saying that I did have him slightly undercooked because he’s very natural at home.

“He jumped and travelled with a lot of natural pace and quickened up well. Colin was quite taken by him and said he should have no problem stepping up into stakes company.

“I don’t think he’ll have any problem going another furlong and I think he could be a high-class stakes horse. We’ll see how he is in the morning and see what there is between now and the National Stakes and go from there.”

Aidan O’Brien’s Ibelieveicanfly (13-8 favourite) opened her account at the fourth attempt in the Grand Hotel Malahide Irish EBF Fillies Juvenile Race.

Fourth, second and fourth in her first three races, the daughter of Frankel was fitted with a hood for her latest assignment and came good in some style, rewarding her supporters with a dominant five-length win in the hands of Ryan Moore.

“The better the race, the better she is going to be – she has such a high cruising pace,” said O’Brien.

“In an ordinary run maiden she is just in a gear too high. She has a lot of class. There was plenty of pace on and Ryan was very happy with her.”

O’Brien and Moore doubled up in the Guidenstown Stud Irish European Breeders Fund Maiden with 8-15 favourite Shakespeare.

The son of Dubawi had shown a good level of ability with placed efforts on his first two starts and duly made it third time lucky without too much fuss.

O’Brien added: “He’s a lovely big horse who does everything right. He’s a little bit of a baby. That’s why it took two runs for him to get to where he is.

“He’s still not there. He has a lot of ability and is in the ‘could be anything’ category really.

“Size, power, quality, speed, stamina – he has everything. Hopefully he’s going to be something to look forward to.”