Big result again for Mick Appleby in Molecomb

Big Mojo

showed a smart turn of pace to come out on top in the Jaeger-Lecoultre Molecomb Stakes at .

His stablemate Mr Lightside carried the Group Three field through the early stages as they raced down the centre of the course, with Arran in isolation alongside the near-side rail.

The Mick Appleby-trained Big Mojo – representing last year’s winning connections of Big Evs – raced in cover in midfield before being asked to challenge as they approached the final furlong.

Big Mojo put on the jets to pull clear of Mr Lightside and win by three-quarters of a length in the hands of Silvestre de Sousa at 25-1, with the fast-finishing 2-1 favourite Aesterius getting up to claim second on the line by a head.

Appleby said: “I said I couldn’t split Big Mojo and Mr Lightside – I worked them together on Saturday and couldn’t pick between them. I just said they will both be in the frame. 

“They are both very and wouldn’t be far behind Big Evs either as two-year-olds. They could both go to America for the Breeders’ Cup but Big Mojo will go to the Gimcrack first. The owner [Paul Teasdale] wants his wife to do the speech as the winning owner at the Gimcrack dinner. To be fair this was our main target with him.  

“It’s good to get some good two-year-olds because we can’t train them apparently!” 

De Sousa said: “It was great – Big Mojo is an exciting horse. He’s improved a lot since his last run in a maiden, and it was a nice way to break a maiden in a Group Three. He is only going to improve. 

“He has a lot of speed, and I’d like him over six furlongs as well. I think he is a quality horse going forward. He is strong physically but his mind is not there yet.” 

Paul Teasdale said: “We wanted to call him Mojo but we couldn’t so we called him Big Mojo. We bought him just after the Breeders’ Cup last year. 

“We went to Beverley first time out and he was a little green, but he ran really well and then we’ve seen such an improvement. We were going to run in the maiden yesterday but we said to Mick put him in the Molecomb and we’ll see if he’s good enough. 

“It’s only his second race but we’re in racing to win, so that’s what we are going to do. We are not in this to buy horses and sell them. We bought four two-year-olds at the end of last year and three of them are fantastically talented. The fourth we haven’t really tried yet. 

“Big Mojo is bred for six furlongs, so the Gimcrack Stakes will be the perfect race for him. We attended the Gimcrack dinner last year and have had a long-standing joke that I would like my wife [Rachael] to do the speech.” 

Archie Watson said of Aesterius: “You can’t be unhappy; he’s just raced away from the winner a bit. These things happen in these big fields; he didn’t really get to race against the winner there, but he’s run a huge race and got his head down on the line to win the photo for second. He’s very exciting, very professional, and he’s growing up race to race. Five furlongs I think is his trip. 

“We’d love to finish off the year in Del Mar, if he can get there - I think that sort of race, a quick turning five on quick ground would suit him. Soldier’s Call went from the Prix d’Arenberg on to the Flying Childers, and I would imagine we will do something along those lines as long as we are happy. So it will probably be Chantilly next.”