Big Mojo showed a smart turn of pace to come out on top in the Jaeger-Lecoultre Molecomb Stakes at Goodwood.
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 do hold him in the same regard as Big Evs, but I couldn’t split him and Mr Lightside. They’re two very, very good two-year-olds. It’s great for the owner to have another good horse and it’s great for us, too.
“I did say he could be as good as Big Evs, he’s a good horse, a very good horse.
“Him and Mr Lightside, I couldn’t split them as I think they’re both very good. I worked them together the other day and I couldn’t pick between them. He’s run a blinder as well. They’re both very good two-year-olds.
“They 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 (at York) first.
“The owner 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.”
Winning owner Paul Teasdale added: “We bought him just after the Breeders’ Cup last year. He went to Beverley first time out, he was a little bit green but he ran really well.
“He’s made such an improvement, we were going to put him in the maiden but we said to Mick ‘put him in the Molecomb, he’s good enough’.”
Asked whether there would now be a temptation to cash in on Big Mojo, he insisted: “We’re in racing to win, we’re not in it to sell horses on. We’re here to win and that’s what we’ve done today.”
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