Noted mudlark Jungle Edge has drawn the inside barrier in the $100,000 Stabil-Lime Group Handicap (1200m) at Racing.com Park at Pakenham on Saturday.
Jungle Edge has drawn barrier one in the Stabil-Lime Group Handicap at Pakenham. Photo by Steve Hart.
Trainer Mick Bell is almost one hundred percent certain in giving Jungle Edge the all clear to take his place in the ten horse field after the seven year old scored a comfortable win last Saturday in the $100,000 Le Pine Funerals Handicap (1000m) on the Ladbrokes Park Hillside track at Sandown.
Bell is waiting on the results of a blood test before committing to a run but has booked 3kg claiming apprentice Georgina Cartwright to partner the top weight and reduce his 63.5kg to 60.5kg.
“I’m just waiting on the result of a blood test but I can’t imagine that it would be too bad as he’s feeling so good,” Bell told AAP.
“We just rode him around (since last weekend) and make sure he feels alright.”
“We had a physio go over him and that’s when we did a resting blood test to make sure everything’s fine.
“But he seems fine to me.”
“It’s a gift to get a horse like this.”
“A horse that is durable and having a real career, it’s a great thing so we’re getting a little bit of joy now before heading into what is going to be a pretty tough time.”
All of Jungle Edge’s thirteen wins have been on rain affected tracks and Bell is not worried that the Pakenham surface has been upgraded from the heavy range to a soft 7 as there is more rain forecast before the weekend.
“The track has gone from a heavy to a slow, but there’s rain forecast, and my guess is we’ll get enough rain,” Bell said.
“And the new Pakenham track is usually on the softer side.”
Jungle Edge is in line to score a hat trick of wins with a victory at Pakenham on Saturday and will make it back to back wins for Cartwright while regular rider Kevin Forrester was on board the wet tracker two starts back for his win in the Group 3 $150,000 Kevin Heffernan Stakes (1300m) at Sandown November 18.
Bookmakers at Ladbrokes.com.au have installed Jungle Edge as the $2.60 favourite for the Stabil-Lime Group Handicap ahead of the Patrick Payne trained Chamois Road at $4.80 and Darren Weir’s Stellar Collision at $6.