John Thompson is looking for sharp improvement from Jojo Was A Man in the Listed Ladies Day Cup at Hawkesbury as the tough gelding takes the next step towards his major campaign goals.
The six-year-old finished down the track in an unsuitable Sydney Stakes (1200m) first-up, his performance compounded when he was checked badly near the 600m.
“We were struggling to find a race for him and he had to go around in that,” Thompson said.
“It just wasn’t the right race for him, a sprint race with handy sprinters in it and that’s not him, he’s a miler.
“He got in the middle of a meat sandwich and got spat out the back so just put a line through that run.
“The horse is going well, he trialled well the other day and it looks a nice race for him.”
Jojo Was A Man trialled stylishly before and after his first-up performance and has raced well at Hawkesbury in the past.
While Thompson says he will improve the deeper he goes into his campaign, he believes the horse is fit enough to be competitive against the likes of Chris Waller pair Skyman and New Mandate and Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou-trained stablemates Steely and Cisco Bay.
“He ran third in the Hawkesbury Cup, so he’s run well there before which is good. It’s a small field which suits too,” Thompson said.
“He’s a big, gross horse so the more he does, the better he does.
“This will set him up nicely for the two big mile races coming up for him but he’s going well enough to win it.”
The $1 million The Gong (1600m) at Kembla Grange two weeks from Saturday and the Group 2 The Ingham (1600m) at Randwick a fortnight later are the primary targets for Jojo Was A Man this preparation.
Thompson will also saddle up With Your Blessing in the Rosehill Bowling Club Handicap (1200m) on Saturday and expects him to give the race a shake.
“He ran well first-up and he will improve off the back of that and run well on Saturday,” he said.