The prospect of a rain affected Caulfield track on Saturday has trainer Mick Bell smiling as his stable star Jungle Edge will endeavour to go one better in this year’s Group 3 $128,000 Bletchingly Stakes (1200m).
Jungle Edge, above, is among the nominations for the 2020 Bletchingly Stakes at Caulfield. Photo by Jenny Barnes.
The Caulfield track was rated a soft 6 on Tuesday and Bell can’t see it drying out before the weekend and that will suit Jungle Edge whose nineteen wins to date have be on soft and heavy tracks.
“This year we have had a lot more rain and the under lying is a lot softer,” Bell told RSN Racing Pulse.
“I think we are going to get enough rain. I think the track will probably be a (Soft) 6 and that would be great.”
“We would be more than happy with a 6.”
“The record shows that he has won a lot more races on the soft than he has on the heavy and if it is soft enough there will be no excuses.”
“And we just might be lucky enough to get a 6 or a 7 and that would be fantastic for us.”
“I think he will run really well and hopes this little bit of drizzle keeps up and we get a soft track and see how we go.”
Jungle Edge is racing in career best form with a last start win in the Group 3 $128,000 Neds Sir John Monash Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield on July 11 and Bell said that the rising ten year old mudlark is in better form than twelve months ago when runner up to Scales Of Justice in the 2019 Bletchingly Stakes.
“I think he is going better (this year). He ran second in the John Monash last year and then ran second to Scales Of Justice,” Bell said.
“He was probably pretty unlucky in the Monash last year, he just got beaten by Oak Door and in the Bletchingly the other horse was superior.”
“He has certainly come through it (Sir John Monash Stakes) okay. He is jumping out of his skin.”
“It is amazing. He is that well that it is scary.”
“He is still as good. He is not carrying any injuries and I think that really helps.”
“He has done most of his racing on soft and heavy tracks and that all helps.”
“Who knows how long he might go for. Like it could end any time but at the moment he is in fine form.”
Jungle Edge is one of fifteen sprinters nominated for the Bletchingly Stakes.
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