James Alliston has an impressive string of Advanced horses in his barn. In addition to the three mounts he took to Rolex this year — Parker, Jumbo’s Jake and Tivoli — he also has Mojo, an OTTB he’s brought through the ranks and hopes to aim at Rolex next year. I asked James to introduce us to Mojo in his latest blog for EN. Take it away, James!
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James Alliston and Mojo. Photo be Lisa Levine.
From James:
Over the last few weeks, I have been enjoying working with the younger horses while Jumbo’s Jake, Parker and Tivoli enjoy some well-deserved rest after Kentucky. One of these horses who has been quietly coming through the ranks is Mojo. This season is his first year at the Advanced level, and he has had two seconds, which I think is a promising start. My long term aim with him this year is the Galway Downs CCI*** at the end of the year; that will get him qualified for Kentucky. He is an interesting horse who certainly has his own way of doing things, but he also has a lot of great qualities such as athleticism, stamina and speed, which are so essential at the top of the sport.
I bought him in Ocala, Florida as a rough looking 5-year-old that had just come off the racetrack after a friend recommended I go and see him. The beauty of this was that I was able to see him over a small fence, which when you buy directly off the track you are not able to do. He didn’t necessarily have great style at the time, but I could see his scope and carefulness and that he was an attractive mover. He was pretty hot, but I was thinking he would calm down with work, and it was somewhat to be expected after a decent racing career. I’m still waiting on that part … My Mum was actually visiting from the UK when I went to pick him up in the horse trailer, and she gave him the thumbs up.
In his early career, there was nothing too spectacular. He was always very enthusiastic in the jumping portions with not a lot of emphasis on control or style, but he seemed to get the job done. The dressage was a little bit frustrating too, because he is a beautiful mover, but again, his enthusiasm often interfered with his focus in the dressage. Having said that, he seemed to score alright despite that, so I was excited as to what he would do when he learned to relax in the ring. When I entered him in his first one star at Galway Downs in 2011, I didn’t have much expectation, so I was delighted when he ended up winning it. I am excited for the fall season with this horse and hopefully a big spring season next year. Hopefully he can continue his progression and maybe be one to look out for in the future. Fingers crossed!
