Tag Archive for: Molecomb Stakes

Big result again for Mick Appleby in Molecomb

/in /by

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.”



Try Tix for Better Tote Returns

Big Evs produces another big performance for Mick Appleby

/in /by

Big Evs proved his surprise Royal Ascot success was no fluke with victory in the Jaeger-Lecoultre Molecomb Stakes at Goodwood.

Narrowly beaten on his debut at Redcar in May, Mick Appleby’s juvenile was sent off at 20-1 for the Windsor Castle Stakes but ran out a clear-cut winner.

He was the 9-4 joint-favourite to follow up at Group Three level and a smart start meant he was soon leading the field in the hands of Jason Hart.

Purosangue came at him hard as the post loomed, but Big Evs kept responding to pressure and clung on by a neck.

Kylian, the other 9-4 favourite, appeared outpaced early on, but made late progress to place third and may well have finished closer with a clearer run.

Betfair cut Big Evs to 5-1 from 8-1 for the Gimcrack at York on August 25, although connections also raised the possibility of paying the £40,000 required to supplement him for the Nunthorpe on the same day.

He is an 8-1 shot with Paddy Paddy Power to become the first two-year-old to win the all-aged Group One since Kingsgate Native in 2007.

Appleby said: “He’s done that very well, I don’t think he really liked the ground, but he’s tough and he’s toughed it out.

“He’s as tough as anything and very quick, I think that ground just blunted his speed early on, but because he’s so tough he pulled it out in the end.”

Big Evs with Jason Hart
Big Evs with Jason Hart (PA)

On the subject of the Nunthorpe, Appleby said: “It’s up to the owner, he’s the one that’s got to pay the 40 grand! It’s a realistic target, a two-year-old has not won it since Kingsgate Native and that must be 20-odd years ago. It’s a possibility, we’ll speak in the morning when we’ve all calmed down a bit.

“He’s in the Gimcrack, so that’s a possibility. We were contemplating maybe looking at the Breeders’ Cup, which may be a possibility now as well.

“It just shows that we can do it at the top end with a two-year-old. We’re not renowned for having two-year-olds, but if you don’t get them sent to you then you can’t win with them. To finally get a good one is huge for us.

“He’d be the best (horse) we’ve had so far, I think he’s up there with the likes of Caspian Prince, Danzeno, Annaf, he’s very good – hopefully he’ll turn out better than them and give us a first Group One.”



Try Tix for Better Tote Returns

Big Evs primed for Kylian challenge at Goodwood

/in /by

Mick Appleby is “pretty confident” Big Evs can lower the colours of Kylian in a good renewal of the Jaeger-Lecoultre Molecomb Stakes at Goodwood on Wednesday.

Winner of the 23-runner Windsor Castle at Royal Ascot on his last run, the son of Blue Point will be tackling easy ground for the first time and Jason Hart’s mount is drawn on the wing in stall eight.

“He’s in good order. I think we have got a decent enough draw and we should be going there with a very good chance,” said Appleby.

“I think he will be OK on the ground, as long as it doesn’t go heavy. You’d think he’d be OK on good to soft ground and the dam won on soft ground, so hopefully he should be all right.”

Big Evs and the Karl Burke-trained Kylian dominate the market for the five-furlong Group Two contest.

The latter is more experienced with four runs under his belt and was a scintillating six-length winner of the Listed Dragon Stakes at Sandown on his last run.

“Obviously we have Kylian to beat,” admitted Appleby. “It is a great race, but we’d go there pretty confident and he should have a good chance.

“Should all go well, we’ll probably go for the Gimcrack (at York) next – that’s most obvious one for him, I should have thought.”

Ryan Moore maintains his partnership with Kylian, who is bidding for a hat-trick, having previously won on the all-weather at Newcastle.

Kylian was a wide-margin winner at Sandown under Ryan Moore
Kylian was a wide-margin winner at Sandown under Ryan Moore (Nigel French/PA)

“I sat on him for the first time at Sandown last month and you had to be very impressed by the manner in which he picked up after I switched him to the outside after a rail run clearly didn’t materialise,” Moore reported on his Betfair blog.

“Big Evs is probably the one to beat, but this horse isn’t far behind him form-wise after what he did at Sandown, though both horses are unproven on soft ground and that is the question mark.”

Richard Hannon is equally hopeful that Baheer, an easy winner of a Newbury novice over six furlongs, can handle the ground and a drop back in trip.

He said: “He is in great form. He’s very quick and has easily got the speed for five (furlongs) no problem.

“The ground is an unknown quantity, but Mehmas liked it. I think he’d have a great chance as well.”

Richard Hannon feels Baheer will handle the easy surface
Richard Hannon feels Baheer will handle the easy surface (Mike Egerton/PA)

The other Group Two contest on the card is the seven-furlong Whispering Angel Oak Tree Stakes, which has attracted a field of 16 fillies.

John Quinn saddles Breege, who was pitched into Group One company in the Irish 1,000 Guineas at the Curragh on her seasonal debut, where she finished seventh to Tahiyra.

She then was beaten a length by Coppice in the Sandringham at Royal Ascot, so drops back in trip to a course and distance she handled well when a narrow runner-up in a Group Three last August.

“We’re happy with her,” said Quinn. “She ran very well at Ascot and we tried to run her at Sandown (in the Coral Distaff), but we just couldn’t run her – it wasn’t a lot, I just couldn’t run her.

“We have been thinking about this race because we thought the conditions might suit her. She ran here as a two-year-old over seven furlongs and she handled the track well.

“She is a big, strong mare and, with a bit of ease in the ground, she’ll go on that.

“She is not slow. She won over five and a half (furlongs) as a two-year-old and was placed in the Princess Margaret. She is a quality filly, so let’s hope she runs well in a tough race.

“She is drawn in stall three, which is grand. I’d rather be three than 13. I’m glad she got drawn there, because over seven furlongs, if you are drawn out a long way, it is difficult.”

White Moonlight is the sole last-time-out winner in the field and she bids for a hat-trick for Saeed bin Suroor, following a pair of Listed successes at Musselburgh and on the all-weather at Chelmsford, both over the same seven-furlong trip.

“She won well at Chelmsford, “ said the Godolphin handler. “She came back from that well and worked nicely. Definitely she is in good form.

“She won at Musselburgh on good to firm ground, but maybe the ground conditions will be good for her. It will be nearer soft ground.

“We’ll see, we’ll have a look, but she has won on easier ground in the past as a two-year-old.”



Try Tix for Better Tote Returns

Dobbs impressed with Goodwood possible Baheer

/in /by

Baheer could be heading to Goodwood for the Molecomb Stakes after his eyecatching victory at Newbury last week.

The Richard Hannon-trained two-year-old stepped up on his debut when runner-up to shock 150-1 winner Zoulu Chief over the same six-furlong course and distance, taking a novice by a stylish two and a half lengths.

A son of Mehmas, he travelled strongly and was eased before the finish, and jockey Pat Dobbs feels he could be poised to make his mark in better company in the near future.

“His work in the spring was brilliant, but he was gelded because he was getting a little bit out of control,” said Dobbs.

“So that takes him out of a lot of the good races. He’s only won a maiden, but he travels very good and feels like a five-furlong horse.”

Owned by Al Shaqab Racing, Baheer appreciated the fast ground and Dobbs feels only inexperience and immaturity is holding him back.

He added: “There is talk about the Molecomb, but they might put him in a nursery to see what mark he gets first. I think it might possibly be a bit early for him to be a Molecomb horse.

“Fast ground is very important to him – he doesn’t bend his knees a lot. He got beat obviously the first time on soft ground, which was a shock because we couldn’t see him getting beat.

“He is a good horse, but whether you’ll see it in his next run or a couple of runs later, I’m not sure. He has a mind of his own, but a lot of ability – more or less like the boss!” he laughed.



Try Tix for Better Tote Returns