Mojito lands Mattis Memorial feature

MOJITO, the horse who promised much, crowned champion two-year-old in 2022 and unbeaten in five starts after winning the 2023 Guineas by 12 lengths, yesterday won his third race in 10 months, yet another overnight-allowance victory, but impressive enough to once again send tongues wagging.

An enigma, Richard Azan’s MOJITO made the Kenneth Mattis Memorial look easy, sitting sixth entering the backstretch of the nine-furlong and 25-yard race before picking off rivals like a sniper in a shooting gallery.

Pulling leading rider Raddesh Roman to his third victory on the nine-race card, MOJITO shot to the lead four and a half furlongs out, just as SUPREMASI got rid of early leader GEOLITHIC, believing he would have had things his way as he did when winning at a mile on August 30.

MOJITO poured it on, no pun intended, from the half-mile marker, leaving 11 rivals toiling as he won his first-ever two-turn race, his first attempt in a route event since floundering in the 2023 St Leger and Jamaica Derby.

The five-year-old grey clocked a fantastic 1:55.2, the second-fastest time at the distance this year behind COMMANDANT’s 1:54.3, bettering GEOLITHIC’s 1:55.4.

MOJITO’s winning margin, eased, nine and a half lengths ahead of United States-bred UNSPUN, authenticated his winning time, suggesting the Savoy Stomp-Fiftyshadesofray runner could also destroy open-allowance horses on his next outing.

Roman, who won the previous race with Spencer Chung’s American, GOODBYE FIREFLY, out the five-straight course to close the programme by landing the late double, had landed the day’s opener with T BRADY, dropping from $700,000 to $350,000 claiming for trainer Peter-John Parsard.

Racing continues on Saturday before the month closes with a third Saturday-Sunday schedule, September 27-28.