Though finishing 10th of 15 runners in December’s Mouttet Mile, local-bred MOJITO ran an eye-catching race before 2024 winner FUNCAANDUN relegated him to seventh a furlong out, after which only three other horses passed the Jamaica Cup winner.
Returning a class lower in Saturday’s Saint Cecelia Cup at six and a half furlongs, any thoughts of ring rust or cobwebs were swept out the window by the six-year-old grey, who galloped 1:26.3 for seven furlongs last Sunday morning.
Having won a grade-one race, last year’s Jamaica Cup, almost five months to the day, MOJITO returning to face open-allowance company after his big run in the Mouttet Mile is all but a slap in the face to his five rivals, WALL STREET TRADER being the only other runner to have faced top-class company.
Taking an overly ambitious shot in the dark at the Mouttet Mile, MOJITO’s running style was always his Achilles Heel against the likes of LEGACY ISLE, PACK PLAYS, DOTHRAKI, SUPERNATURAL POWER, and RIDEALLDAY, a pace which played true to form in the exact running order for the first six furlongs.
MOJITO, drawn widest in the 15-horse field, was almost last for the first furlong before making a sweeping move, which took him into sixth position three and a half furlongs out after DIGITAL ONE went by DOTHRAKI blowing a fuse in splits of 23.1 and 45.0 for the first half-mile.
Approaching the home turn, MOJITO still held sixth while American invader NAUTICAL STAR circled rivals, moving in tandem with a wound-up FUNCAANDUN.
Whereas NAUTICAL STAR’s challenge fizzled, FUNCAANDUN stayed on strongly to relegate MOJITO, eventually closing for third behind winner RIDEALLDAY and speedy LEGACY ISLE, getting there just ahead of a winded SUPERNATURAL POWER, who drifted right and lost his place.
MOJITO faded, as expected, but ran a helluva race, finishing the season with three wins from seven starts, his last being the grade-one Jamaica Cup, beating American GIRVANO and the filly RUN JULIE RUN.
MOJITO’s Mouttet Mile run proved that he is a grade-one horse, who belongs a level higher, racing against the country’s best at a weight which would give him a look-in instead of plundering hapless open-allowance rivals.
