Mojito looks a shoo-in for Triple Crown

MOJITO WILL go down in history as one of the easiest Triple Crown winners ever, considering how he cantered over rivals in the Kingston Trial Stakes and 2000 Guineas, notching five wins in a row, unbeaten since his third outing last November.

After coasting in by a dozen lengths in the Kingston, punters were left wondering, “What next?” Well, the grey colt didn’t win the 2000 Guineas by 12 lengths, but he hardly broke a sweat, clocking 1:37.2, a time not seen in a three-year-old race since the days of 2017 Triple Crown winner SHE’S A MANEATER.

It is frightening to note that since clocking 1:41.1 in December’s Jamaica Two-Year-Old Stakes, MOJITO clipped 3.4 seconds off that time in a little over five months, firing a telling warning shot at older, grade one runners six months ahead of the Mouttet Mile.

Ripping splits of 46.3, 58.2, 1:10.3, and 1:23.0, after being slowly into stride, winning under a hand ride, has MOJITO’s stocks soaring way past the St Leger and Jamaica Derby, sending shivers down every trainer with a horse prepping for the Mouttet Mile in December.

HUNTSMAN has worked well as usual and could chase home MOJITO, the only horse to have beaten him in three outings. He galloped a mile in 1:43.1 early in June, prepping for his 13-length romp against non-winners of two races on June 18, clocking 1:58.2 at nine furlongs and 25 yards.

Last year’s Jamaica Derby winner, ATOMICA, is on the undercard, tackling five rivals in the Clovis Metcalfe at seven and a half furlongs. The dashing filly returned to winning ways in an overnight-allowance race on Labour Day, eased down for a nine-length victory against PERFECT BREW.

EXCESSIVE FORCE, last year’s Mouttet Mile winner, makes his seasonal debut in the Clovis Metcalfe after being scratched lame two Saturday’s ago. Having only raced once since his charging run in the Mouttet Mile, a third-place finish behind MAHOGANY in the December 31 Ian Levy Cup, EXCESSIVE FORCE is in no shape to challenge ATOMICA.