Big moment arrives for Mohaather once again at Goodwood as lightning strikes twice for Teasdales

It was only on this very Wednesday in 2020 that Mohaather confirmed himself a place in Shadwell's barns with a tidy victory on what proved to be his last start in the Sussex Stakes.

Four years on and his young stallion career was burnished in the Goodwood sun by Big Mojo, his first Group winner as a sire in the Jaeger-Lecoultre Molecomb Stakes, 12 days after Yah Mo Be There took the Listed Rose Bowl Stakes at Newbury.

It puts him level with Sergei Prokofiev on black-type accomplishments in Britain and Ireland despite the Mick Appleby-trained colt being only the fifth of his runners to pass the post first, having finished a promising but green-looking second on his debut a little over three weeks ago at Beverley.

Big Mojo was following on 12 months later in this race from elite sprinter and stablemate Big Evs, who had an almost identical profile as a maiden when breaking through in the Windsor Castle Stakes at Ascot. 

The difference was their sales prices, both achieved through young bloodstock agent Conor Quirke, who had spotted Big Evs on a gallops video and sourced him privately on behalf of Paul and Rachael Teasdale.

"I'm quite emotional," Quirke said after watching Silvestre de Sousa partner the 25-1 chance home three-quarters of a length in front of favourite Aesterius.

Kathryn and Conor Quirke have become impressive young operators in the bloodstock worldCredit: Laura Green

"You'd never wish what happened with Big Evs to happen and here we are again 12 months later. I was looking at him going round the paddock and I said that whatever he does today he'll probably be better over six [furlongs]. 

"The dream all winter has been to win the Gimcrack [at York] and well see. We'll probably take that in, and the Flying Childers [at Doncaster] is always a nice back-up plan after that."

Quirke, who runs Hunting Hill Stud in County Cork with wife Kathryn, had signed for Big Mojo for 175,000gns at the Tattersalls December Yearling Sale. He is the first foal out of No Nay Never mare JM Jackson, a sister to French Listed winner Singforthemoment from the family of the classy miler Trans Island.

"I think the win at the Breeders' Cup [by Big Evs] probably loosened up the purse strings," said the agent. "He was in December and it was all for luck. His initial engagement was at the Orby Sale [withdrawn] and he came from very good breeders in Ringfort Stud. 

"He's a strong, forward horse that moved like a very good horse. Mohaather has two very good horses now and I don't think this horse is done. He's run the quickest five furlongs at Goodwood for a two-year-old ever and he's got his head in a bucket. 

"He's got a rock solid mentality, so I'm over the moon for the owners most of all but I'm overcome with emotion myself. I'm absolutely honoured to be here."

Mohaather (right) signed off from the track by winning the 2020 Sussex StakesCredit: Edward Whitaker

Quirke had made his way into buying for the Teasdales' RP Racing through a connection with the Les Eyre stable and the decent sprinter Bedford Flyer, and hopes to capitalise on it.

He added: "I'm only a young person in this game. Ten years ago if you told me I was coming here with an owner's badge regardless in what capacity, I'd have been absolutely buzzing, so to be given the opportunity all I can do is keep doing my job effectively."

Mohaather, who was bred by Gaie Johnson Houghton, appeared later in his two-year-old season and won the Horris Hill Stakes for Marcus Tregoning, adding the Greenham Stakes in a stop-start three-year-old campaign. 

He was found to have sustained bone bruising in a fetlock joint after the Sussex Stakes triumph and was retired. He stood at Shadwell's Beech House Stud division for £12,500 this year.

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