DARK Mojo fought off all challengers to win yesterday’s $40,000 Murrays Floor Coverings Coonamble Cup (1600m) and set the Gulgong gelding up for a possible tilt at the October 26 Coonabarabran Cup.
The Brett Thompson-trained six-year-old gelding son of Trotamondo, rated perfectly by 3kg claiming apprentice Jacob Gilchrist, held off race favourite Sooner Or Later for a short half head win while unlucky Couperin (9-1) gained a late run to surge home a length away third.
For young apprentice Gilchrist it was a big win after he’d spent six months on the sidelines with a broken wrist, the result of a fall during track work.
Apprenticed to Brett Thompson he rode Dark Mojo to instruction, leading into the straight.
He was always confident although he had one scare late in the straight.
“He shied at the big screen,” Gilchrist said.
“He ran about a bit but then he put his head out and won.”
Thompson believes Gilchrist is on the road to success.
“He’ll go far,” Thompson said from Melbourne where Slate On Edge primed for another tilt at a greys racing series beginning Wednesday.
“Jacob’s very dedicated. He came off one at track work on Anzac Day and broke his wrist and he’s only been back a month.”
Thompson has also had a great run with 18 winners since the start of the new season. His best season came last year when he trained 37 winners so he’s well on the way to a massive year that will be made even bigger if Slate On Edge can repeat last year’s grey race success in Melbourne.
“He ran second in the first race, won the second and then got slaughtered in the third,” he said.
“He’s going well again and will run well on Wednesday in the first of the three greys races.”
Dark Mojo has also been in outstanding form.
“He won the Louth Cup for us,” he said.
“Then he went to Mendooran and got slaughtered there, then won the Collarenebri Cup before coming back and winning at Dubbo. He’s been very consistent for us.”
A Coonabarabran Cup start might be his next option, he said.
“We probably will go but we’ll wait and have a look at the field,” he said.
“It’s all about placing them where they can win. No good going there for the sake of it if you can’t win.”