Big Mojo

The progression tells its own story. Big Mojo announced itself at Goodwood in July 2024, then stepped up to win at Ascot the following spring — a course that tends to sort out the genuinely good from the merely lucky. Then came Haydock in September 2025, which is the most recent win and the one that showed this is no fluke. Three different tracks, three different tests, three victories. For a three-year-old, that is a genuinely impressive CV.

There is one thing worth keeping a close eye on: the ground. On dry, fast conditions, Big Mojo has won 2 of its 4 races — a 50% win rate that is extraordinary at any level, let alone the top flight. On other ground, the record is patchier. This is a horse that clearly comes alive when the sun has been out and the turf is quick underfoot. Any trainer worth their salt will be watching the forecast.

Michael Appleby's yard in Oakham has sent out 74 winners already this season, which tells you this is an operation that knows how to get horses ready to perform. Big Mojo is now returning after a five-month break — the last race was back in early September — so there will be some natural questions about rustiness. Recent form shows a tenth-place finish and a seventh in its last two races before that Haydock win, so it is not unbeatable. But a horse that has won three Class 1 races before its fourth birthday, on tracks that the very best in Britain compete on, deserves serious respect when it returns to the track.