Jaeger-LeCoultre Molecomb Stakes
Group 3, Goodwood 15:00
£100,000 guaranteed,
2yo only,
5f, Class 1   
Wednesday 31st July 2024

SureWIn

1 Big Mojo 25/1
2 Aesterius 2/1F
3 Mr Lightside 11/1
15 ran NR: Rock N Roll Rocket
Distances: ¾l, hd, 1¼l Time: 56.13s (fast by 0.77s)

Trainer Mick Appleby won the G3 Jaeger-LeCoultre Molecomb Stakes for the second year running as 25/1 shot Big Mojo followed in the hoofprints of Big Evs.

Appleby not only saddled the winner but also the third Mr Lightside, with the pair being split by 2/1 favourite Aesterius. The distances were three quarters of a length and a head. 

Big Mojo carries the colours of RP Racing Ltd, the same owners of Big Evs – who went on from Goodwood to win at the Breeders’ Cup and is set to run in Friday’s G2 King George Qatar Stakes.

Ridden today by Silvestre de Sousa, Big Mojo had finished runner-up in a Beverley maiden earlier this month.

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!”

Trainers Quotes

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.”

SureWIn

Molecomb Stakes
£100,000 guaranteed, 2yo only, 5f, Class 1
15 ran
Going: Good to Firm, Good in places

POS. (DRAW) DIST HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY SP
1 (7)    Big Mojo 2 9-3 Michael Appleby Silvestre De Sousa 25/1
2 (10) ¾ Aesterius 2 9-3 Archie Watson James Doyle 2/1F
3 (3) hd Mr Lightside 2 9-3 Michael Appleby Rossa Ryan 11/1
4 (1) 1¼ Celandine 2 9-0 Ed Walker Tom Marquand 11/2
5 (6) ½ Usdi Atohi 2 9-0 Donnacha O'Brien Ryan Moore 10/1
6 (4) ½ King's Call 2 9-3 Kevin Ryan Daniel Tudhope 18/1
7 (15) nk Amestris 2 9-0 Michael Bell Hector Crouch 11/1
8 (13) 1½ Soldier's Heart 2 9-3 Simon & Ed Crisford Harry Davies 6/1
9 (16) hd Vingegaard 2 9-3 Archie Watson Hollie Doyle 17/2
10 (11) 1 Francisco's Piece 2 9-3 Adrian Paul Keatley Oisin Murphy 20/1
11 (8) hd Fuji Mountain 2 9-3 Declan Carroll Jason Hart 80/1
12 (5) 2¾ Sands Of Marra 2 9-3 Ollie Sangster J F Egan 80/1
13 (12) 1 Binadham 2 9-3 Kevin Philippart De Foy Jim Crowley 50/1
14 (2) 2½ The Man 2 9-3 Richard Spencer Jamie Spencer 28/1
15 (14) 18 Arran 2 9-3 Paul & Oliver Cole David Probert 28/1
NR 9 (9) Rock N Roll Rocket 2 9-3 David Loughnane NON RUNNER

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