Jojo Was A Man set for Winter Challenge

Winter racing in Sydney is renowned for throwing up a decent horse or two, and Jojo Was A Man might just fit that bill.

The gelding has been a revelation this campaign, showing courage and class to overcome wide runs in two of his three wins and again doing it the hard way when a narrow second to Taksu in the Winter Stakes (1400m) last start.

He gets another chance to land his first black-type win in Saturday’s Listed Winter Challenge (1500m) at Randwick where he has drawn to get an economical run from barrier five.

Trainer John Thompson has marvelled at the horse’s recent performances and reports Jojo Was A Man has continued to thrive.

“He is foolproof. It took him a prep or two to work it all out but this time in, he has just gone to a new level,” Thompson said.

“He is really genuine. He has always had a really good constitution which helps him, he has never left an oat.

“He has just thrived all prep and he has done super between runs again. Brock Ryan galloped him on Tuesday and couldn’t pull him up.”

Jojo Was A Man has been competing over sprint distances but Thompson says that is not his forte.

He is looking forward to stepping the horse up to 1500m at Randwick, and beyond that, chasing a longer-range summer goal.

“He is a miler that hasn’t run over a mile this prep,” Thompson said.

“Win, lose or draw we are going to give him a break because we want to set him for the Villiers, or as it’s now called, The Ingham.

“That’s the long-term plan, to go into that race about third-up.”

Apprentice Reece Jones has partnered Jojo Was A Man to three wins from four rides and retains the mount on Saturday.

The gelding remains a solid $3.50 favourite for the Winter Challenge, ahead of Oscar Zulu ($6) with class runners Gold Trip and Mugatoo, who are both resuming from extended breaks, $7.50 apiece.

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