Monash win for Mick Bell’s muddy marvel
Jungle Edge proves superior on wet ground once again and lands seventh stakes win
There are few certainties in life but Jungle Edge (Dubawi) on wet ground is one of them.
The ‘muddy marvel’, as he was described by Matt Hill crossing the line, landed his seventh black-type win in yesterday’s Sir John Monash Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m) at Caulfield, all of which have been on a soft track or worse.
Ridden by his regular track rider Jade Darose, the rising ten-year-old settled in second on the outside of Tavisan (Tavistock), hit the front with 300 metres to go and held on to score by three-quarters of a length.
The James Cummings-trained Viridine (Poet’s Voice) was second with I Am Someone (Onemorenomore) coming home a further length and a half away for third for Paul Preusker.
“I am just in awe of this horse,” trainer Mick Bell told Racing.com. “It looked as though he would go very well today but they still have to do it and he always delivers.
“I actually think there will be hundreds of people buying takeaway tonight courtesy of Jungle Edge.”
“He’ll be doing his bit for the economy, just like he has done a fair bit for my economy.”
Weather providing, the next assignment for Jungle Edge is likely to be the Bletchingly Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) at Caulfield on July 25, a race in which he finished second to Group 1 winner Scales Of Justice (Not A Single Doubt) last year.
But Bell also made a plea to slot-holders for The Everest (1200m) to consider his wet track marvel.
“You can’t order the weather so we’ll see how he pulls up and if it’s a heavy track then we will probably run (in the Bletchingly),” Bell said.
“I’d still like to have a crack at The Everest. I think the ATC should give us a slot and show the race is not just for billionaires and that it’s for everyone.
“If he runs in it he won’t run last and if it was a heavy track at Randwick, who knows what he would do.
“The last time he ran up there in the Sydney Stakes on the same day, he and Pierata ran two seconds faster than they did in The Everest so I don’t know what you’ve got to do.
“At the moment we’re (Victorians) all lepers so we can’t go there so we’ll see what happens.”
It was the second time Darose had partnered Jungle Edge to victory in a stakes race after guiding the gelding to win the W J Adams Stakes (Listed, 1000m) earlier this year.
“She didn’t get a chance to ride him when he was still going through the grades and after that it made it hard to put her on,” Bell said.
“She took it on the chin but got a bit cross a couple of times when she thought I might’ve been able to put her on and didn’t.
“But it’s worked out terrific. She’s a very hard worker and she deserves all the success.”
The jockey added: “I’m just so rapt. He’s been such a good horse and to finally ride him, he’s going as good as ever. I’m rapt for Mick and all the owners. Everyone has been awesome.”
Turning ten in less than a month, Jungle Edge (9 g Dubawi – Jungle Girl by Carnegie) has had 82 starts for 19 wins and 24 placings, earning a whopping $1,750,230 in prize-money.
He is the best of four foals out of winning mare Jungle Girl (Carnegie) who herself is a daughter of Out Of Africa (Princely Native).
Out Of Africa also produced Jewel Of Africa (Dalmacia), who is the dam of Flight Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) runner-up Picholine (Dehere), who herself is responsible for the late VRC Derby (Gr 1, 2500m) and South Australian Derby (Gr 1, 2500m) winner Rebel Raider (Reset) as well as stakes scorers Shamoline Warrior (Shamardal) and Cadillac Mountain (Reset).
Further back, this is also the family of Champagne Classic (Gr 2, 1200m) winner Blueberry Hill (Myboycharlie).
Jungle Edge is one of 20 Australian stakes winners for champion Darley sire Dubawi (Dubai Millenium), who stood for a fee of £250,000 in 2020.
Wapiti lands Winx Guineas
After tackling Queensland’s best three-year-olds all season, Wapiti (Love Conquers All) landed his first stakes win at his first attempt in yesterday’s Winx Guineas (Gr 3, 1600m) at the Sunshine Coast.
Coming off a runner-up performance over 2030-metres, Caloundra trainer Gary Duncan dropped the gelding back to a mile and had him race outside the leader Two Smokin Barrels (Declaration Of War) for the trip. He hit the front in the straight and was headed by his rivals but fought back gamely to score by half a length.
Knight Mariner (Tavistock) was second with Love Express (Love Conquers All), who is also trained by Duncan, a head away in third.
Duncan, who calls Wapiti by the nickname Moose, said he had always felt the gelding was a top-class horse.
“He has never run a bad race. Wapiti has been hampered by wide barriers or he would have an even better record,” Duncan said.
“Everything I have asked him to do he has responded to.
“He was coming back from 2000 metres today and that might have helped at the finish. But I would like to try him again at a middle distance.
“Love Express was only a short head behind the second horse. He is pretty handy as well.”
Passed in for $32,500 at Book 2 of the Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Wapiti (3 g Love Conquers All – Lucky Dubai by Dubai Destination) has now had 11 starts for three wins and four placings, earning $244,650 in prize-money.
He is the only winner from two to race out of Lucky Dubai (Dubai Destination) who herself was a city victor. Further back, this is the family of stakes scorer Oreade (Try My Best) and 2004 Golden Jubilee (Gr 1, 6f) winner Fayr Jag (Fayruz).
Wapiti becomes the fifth stakes winner for former Sun Stud resident Love Conquers All (Mossman), who has relocated to Clear Mountain Fairview in Queensland for the 2020 season and will stand for a fee of $5,500 (inc. GST).