Victorian trainer Mick Bell and Jungle Edge have been popular and frequent visitors to Sydney and will return for the Winter Dash at Randwick with an additional incentive.
Jungle Edge won the Listed June Stakes last Saturday week and his reappearance will give Bell the chance to reinforce his case the gelding should be considered for a slot in the $13 million Everest in October.
“I’m after the ATC (Australian Turf Club) slot,” Bell said.
“I’ve put a proposal to them. Jungle Edge has an absolute cult following in Victoria and a bit of one in New South Wales as well.
“I lost my wife Bev 18 months ago to triple negative breast cancer and part of my angle is that I will donate 50 per cent of any money I earn to the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute for cancer research.
“It would be great publicity and maybe the ATC would also donate.
“The horse has good form around Redzel who won it last year. He ran in the Sydney Stakes on the same program last year and on times he would have finished in the first five in The Everest.”
Jungle Edge will be without regular rider Kevin Forrester in Saturday’s 1200m-sprint with three-kilo claiming apprentice Georgina Cartwright to take the reins.
Cartwright rode Jungle Edge to win at Sandown in December and Bell had no hesitation booking her again.
“She very excited and she’s won on him before. I have no doubt she will do the job,” Bell said.
“She comes from Albury so she is used to right-handed racing and she is a very good rider.”
Bell expects Jungle Edge to get around 63.5kg as the highest rated among the 13 nominations taken on Monday with extended until Tuesday.
Randwick was in the soft range on Monday with more rain predicted during the week, ideal conditions for Jungle Edge who has earned more than $1 million with all his wins on rain-affected tracks.
“Even though all his wins have been in the wet, he has run good races on firm tracks,”Bell said.
The Matthew Smith-trained Faraway Town and Aide Memoire from the Kris Lees stable, are among the Randwick entries with the mares 21st and 26th respectively in the order of entry for the Group One Tatt’s Tiara in Brisbane.
The Tatt’s Tiara has a capacity field of 16 plus five emergencies.
