Boom galloper Jomo may not carry the tag “unbeaten” anymore, but Australian jockey Daniel Moor still derived a positive spin from that last-start defeat.
After stringing up three wins in a row, the strapping son of All Too Hard unfortunately stumbled at his fourth start in a Class 3 race over 1000m on February 6.
He lost no marks, though, considering the adverse circumstances stacked against him that day. He was slightly slow out of the gates, hence his more rearward spot than usual, and as a result, the more copious amount of Polytrack flying into his face.
The Hong Kong-owned galloper is normally the one dictating terms upfront with his giant strides leaving his rivals battling in his wake. The taste of clods of the synthetic track would be alien to him - until that last start.
Jomo was clearly not comfortable with the reversal of roles, but to his credit, he never shirked the fight when Moor kept riding him out.
The race looked a lost cause for the hotpot at the 400m, but he still made ground on the outside, and even gave a fleeting impression he could turn the nightmarish journey into a happy ending, but Elite Power (who conversely enjoyed a trouble-free passage) held him off by a neck.
Champion trainer Lee Freedman is giving Jomo a chance to redeem himself a fortnight later in the $70,000 Canada Cup 2019, a Class 3 Division 2 race over 1200m on turf this Friday, and chances are the big boy (he tipped the scales at 633kgs last time out) may well do that.
Moor for one is quite confident he can bounce back.
“Jomo was a little slow out of the gates and resented the kickback at his last start. Once he was in the clear, he made good ground,” said the in-form hoop who has slowly but surely risen through the log to sit just outside the Top 5 on six winners.
“Considering he was under the pump and under the stick and all the Poly that he copped, it was a mighty effort.
“The good thing to take away from that race is he can make ground. That adds a string to his bow.
“I still think there is more improvement to come out from him. Hopefully, I can ride him in a quiet position and let him run home.”
Moor galloped Jomo on Tuesday and reported he came out of it in good nick, even if his imposing stature does not really allow for flash hit-outs.
“Because he is so big, when he does even time or pacework, he feels more comfortable cruising at 14 seconds per furlong than 15,” he said.
