Jungle Edge leads all the way to take out the Star Kingdom
SHORT priced favourite Jungle Edge backed up last week’s Galaxy Stakes third placing by torching its rivals in the Star Kingdom Stakes at Rosehill.
The $2.80 favourite at Crownbet.com.au shot out to an early lead and was never headed, kicking away at the 400m mark to record an imposing victory.
Jockey Kevin Forrester was full of praise for the the six-year-old gelding in the aftermath of the win.
“He goes good, doesn’t he?” Forrester said.
“He might be alright, he might be just starting to come good. We put the blinds on him today and took the blinkers off and he just relaxed so good for me today and he had that bit of kick.”
Forrester said he took the horse under his wing after the brutal slog that was the Galaxy just one week prior.
“I’ve been here all week swimming him in the pool and looking after him. Mick had to go back to Melbourne to look after his horses there. I said ‘don’t worry Mick, I’ll look after him’.
“He was going to take him home after last week, I said ‘don’t worry Mick, leave him here, there’s another race for him next week’. It worked out good,” Forrester said.
Dal Cielo stayed on well after running on the speed to finish second behind the leader and return $3.20 at Sportsbet.com.au while Impending closed well from the back of the field to claim third.
Godolphin hoop James Doyle said he was pleased with Impending’s run considering how far back it settled.
“Run really good, really pleased with him.” Doyle said.
“Obviously it’s hard to come from that far back on this ground in the middle of the track so I was very pleased with his effort.”
The race was all about Jungle Edge’s performance however, which is an early candidate for the win of the day.
Trainer Mick Bell said the horse does not know how to give up.
“He is a great horse,” Bell said.
“He is like a bloke that can go into a pub anywhere and say to anyone I’ll fight on the bar. He just gives it every time.”
Bell believes people will discount his six-year-old as a wet track specialist, but the trainer said they can discount Jungle Edge at their peril.
“Alright people want to think he’s a wet tracker, let them think that. He ain’t just a wet tracker. He’s a good horse, a real good horse on a wet track but he’s a good horse.”