Big Mojo threw his name in the hat for the title of Europe's champion sprinter with a decisive success in Saturday's Haydock Sprint Cup for trainer Mick Appleby and jockey William Buick.

One of five three-year-olds in the 17-runner field, the Mohaather colt was drawn 15 and took advantage of an apparent track bias to come home over a length clear up the stand side rail from Kind Of Blue (drawn 19), Flora Of Bermuda (16) and Rage Of Bamby (13).

The evens favourite Lazzat finished fifth, having had every chance. Connections later said the Royal Ascot winner was not suited by the speedier track here.

Big Mojo was a top two-year-old last season, winning the Molecomb Stakes at Goodwood and finishing fourth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Del Mar. He won a Group 3 race at Ascot on his seasonal debut in April and finished seventh in the Commonwealth Cup before finishing a close second in the July Cup. Last time out he placed fifth in the King George Stakes at Goodwood, a performance which contributed to his 16/1 starting price at Haydock.

Returned to six furlongs at Haydock, Big Mojo powered to the line and took an age to pull up. Buick said: "The hardest job was getting him to the start and pulling up. He has two speeds - flat out and stop. I had a job pulling him up - he clearly has a lot more in the tank.

"But he was lovely and smooth in the race and I never had a moment's worry. He is very genuine. We ended up on the stand rail, got a nice tow into the race to halfway, then off he went and made his own way home."

This was Mick Appleby's first British Group 1 success, his only previous top level victory came with Big Evs in the 2023 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Santa Anita. The trainer said he came to Haydock "quietly optimistic" rather than confident following Big Mojo's Goodwood effort. "We were disappointed with his last run," he said. "There were question marks against his name and he had to prove he was still at the top but he has been in great form at home."

The Champions Sprint at Haydock in October is a possible target for the winner. The Breeders Cup Turf Sprint and Prix de l'Abbaye are also under consideration, though both those races are over five furlongs, as was the Goodwood race in which Big Mojo disappointed connections.

The Haydock win was another feather in the cap of bloodstock agent Conor Quirke who bought Big Mojo for connections for 175,000gns at the Tattersalls December Yearling Sale. Quirke also bought Big Evs privately for the same owners, RP Racing, who are Paul and Rachel Teasdale.