eventmasters.co.uk Commonwealth Cup Trial Stakes
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Group 3, Ascot 14:50
£80,000 guaranteed,
3yo, 6f, Class 1    
Wednesday 30th April 2025

1 Big Mojo 4/1
2 Diablo Rojo 9/1
3 Ain't Nobody 12/1
10 ran Distances: ½l, ¾l, ¾l
Time: 1m 12.50s (standard time)

There was no shortage of questions surrounding Big Mojo as he made his return — but Mick Appleby’s speedster answered them with a decisive comeback win that has opened up multiple Royal Ascot doors.

A sharp juvenile who followed in the slipstream of stablemate Big Evs by landing the Molecomb Stakes at Goodwood, Big Mojo danced plenty of big dances last term – including the Gimcrack, Flying Childers, and even a transatlantic tilt at the Breeders’ Cup. But as is often the case with precocious two-year-olds, the great unknown was whether he’d trained on.

He answered that emphatically on his first start as a three-year-old. Sent off at 4-1, and stepping up to six furlongs for just the second time, Tom Marquand produced him with precision. Though Big Mojo wandered under pressure and took the scenic route late on, he showed grit in abundance to fend off Diablo Rojo by half a length.

“I’m really delighted with him,” said a pleased Mick Appleby. “It’s always a worry when a two-year-old comes back—some don’t go on. But he’s been showing all the right signs at home, working well against older horses.”

The bookmakers reacted in kind. Paddy Power trimmed his Commonwealth Cup odds from 25-1 to 14-1, but Appleby was quick to point out that the King Charles III Stakes—over the sharper five furlongs—is very much on the radar.

“That might be the more likely route, to be honest,” Appleby admitted. “He’s in both races, so we’ve got options.”

Marquand, too, seemed to lean that way, highlighting the colt’s new-found sharpness. “He’s changed as a type. Last year he’d build into a race—but today, the moment I asked, he was up and gone. That’s a sign of a horse who’s come forward. At a place like Ascot, with its tempo and galloping track, I could see five furlongs suiting him just as well—maybe even better.”

So while Big Mojo’s passport to Royal Ascot is now firmly stamped, the destination gate—Commonwealth Cup or King Charles—remains open. What is certain, though, is that Appleby has another bullet loaded for the summer’s top sprints.

BetGoodwin

Pavilion Stakes
£80,000 guaranteed, 4yo, 6f Class 1
10 ran
Going: Good to Firm

POS. (DRAW) DIST HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY SP
1 (3)    Big Mojo 3 9-3 Michael Appleby Tom Marquand 4/1
2 (7) ½ Diablo Rojo 3 9-3 Raphael E Freire David Egan 9/1
3 (9) ¾ Ain't Nobody 3 9-3 Kevin Ryan Tom Eaves 12/1
4 (1) ¾ Brian 3 9-3 J S Moore Billy Loughnane 12/1
5 (8) ½ Arabie 3 9-3 K R Burke Rossa Ryan 8/1
6 (4) 1¾ Candy 3 9-3 Richard Spencer George Wood 40/1
7 (5) nk Hallasan 3 9-3 Charlie Appleby William Buick 8/1
8 (10) nk Dash Dizzy 3 9-3 Charlie Johnston Silvestre De Sousa 12/1
9 (2) ½ Rebel's Gamble 3 9-3 K R Burke Clifford Lee 7/2F
10 (6) 1½ Electrolyte 3 9-3 Archie Watson Ryan Moore 4/1

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