A campaign that hadn’t gone to plan finally hit the right note for Jojo Was A Man, who capitalised on a change of fortune to post a strong win at Randwick.
Trainer John Thompson has had to be patient with the gelding, who choked down when unplaced first-up then brought about his own undoing last start when he had to muster speed after a slow jump and tired late.
There were no such issues on Saturday as JoJo Was A Man ($7) bounced cleanly and apprentice Reece Jones found a beautiful trailing position on the fence.
He did have to wait for a split to appear but once it came, the five-year-old bounded through it, going on to win the Schweppes Handicap (1600m) by 1-1/4 lengths with Mahagoni ($5) nosing out Democracy Manifest ($2.35 fav) for second.
“He did everything right today. He began well and put himself in the right spot,” Thompson said.
“I was a little bit worried coming to the corner, he was in a pocket, but he got out pretty comfortably and got the job done.
“Each run this preparation, he has just got that little bit better each time. He has been building to this and he worked well here on Tuesday.
“Reece (Jones) rode him and we both came away with a bit of confidence.”
Thompson has no grand plans for the winner but is pleased he has rediscovered winning form.
“We’ve had a few issues, but we’ve got it all out of the way now,” he said.
“He is a handy horse and he’ll go through the grades.”
Democracy Manifest was having his first test over a mile but got too far back after a tardy start in an inconclusive performance.
Trainer Chris Waller confirmed the horse would be spelled and expected him to return a more polished product.
“He has run well but he made it awkward by missing the start,” Waller said.
“They’re the little things that are just holding him back. He’s ready for a break so we will give him a spell and bring him back and he’ll be a more mature horse.”
Jones was part of a successful afternoon for the apprentice riders who claimed six of the 10 races between them.
Zac Lloyd led the way with a treble courtesy of Credit Crunch, Sunshine In Paris and Kanazawa while Dylan Gibbons celebrated a double with Just In Reach and Made By Khan.