Mojito seeks form revival in Arthur Jones Memorial Cup

Mojito has been running well below par races since his Jamaica Cup win last November, but the Richard Azan-trained six-year-old grey horse gets a chance to rediscover his best form in the 22nd running of the $1.25-million Arthur Jones Memorial Cup at Caymanas Park this afternoon. The six-furlong (1,200m) contest is Mojito’s fourth straight in Overnight Allowance company, and on class alone he should be tough to beat. It’s been a disappointing campaign for the son of Savoy Stomp as he struggles to find his rhythm.

After that nine and a half-furlong (1,900m) Jamaica Cup victory, he has failed to fire in his next five starts, going winless in four races this season. There was a hint of improvement last time out on August 6. Over seven and a half furlongs (1,500m), Mojito had traffic problems in deep stretch but still managed third, three and a half lengths behind Supremasi and Intrestntimesahead.

The race went in 1:30.0, with Mojito stopping the clock at 1:30.3 — a solid effort despite the trouble. He appears to have come forward from that run. Mojito galloped 1:14.2 for six furlongs on Monday, August 24, and reports are that Mojito is in fine fettle.

With the cutback in trip and no standout in the line-up, Mojito should prove too good if he runs back to anything near his Jamaica Cup effort. His main rivals figure to be Impressive Force and Wall Street Trader, while Formalist is the unknown who could make his presence felt. The contest is positioned as the ninth and final event on the day, with a post time of 5:40 pm, but the first race is at 12:00 pm.

Impressive Force was superb last time out. The Adrian Prince trainee finished six and a half lengths second to Dothraki over five and a half furlongs (1,100m) in 1:05.3, with the race run in 1:04.2. The step up to six furlongs should hold no fears, and he is expected to put up a bold fight.

Wall Street Trader has been fairly consistent this season, although he has won only once from nine starts. Based on the nature of this race, the four-year-old is expected to make a bold bid. The Jason DaCosta-trained three-year-old steps up to Overnight Allowance for the first time, but he comes in with strong credentials having won four of five starts.