Jungle Edge's catch me if you can running style has endeared him to a legion of fans and they had plenty of reasons to cheer the finish of Saturday's $150,000 Group III Kevin Heffernan Stakes (1300m) at Sandown.
With regular rider Kevin Forrester in the saddle, Jungle Edge refused to yield an inch in a driving finish. The 7yo son of Dubawi stubbornly held the challenge of Casino Wizard (Any Given Saturday) by a long-head with Thronum (Snitzel) a nose back in third.
It the third stakes win for Jungle Edge and came about due to a late decision by trainer Mick Bell to let the soft track loving gelding take his place in the race.
"The way the weather pattern was I didn't think we would get this run out of him. He had a week where he was finished for the campaign," Bell said
"Last Saturday afternoon we looked at the weather forecast and it looked like the rain was coming and the ants were about.
"When we got home from Balnarrng races we chucked the saddle back on him and trotted him around for a couple of laps.
"He just doesn't like hard tracks. All accolades to the horse. He is our champion, just a wonderful, wonderful horse."
The best of four winners from as many to race out of the winning Carnegie mare Jungle Girl, Jungle Edge advances his overall record to 12 wins, 4 seconds and 7 thirds from 45 starts with earnings of $770,260.
Jungle Girl is a half-sister to the dam of dual Listed stakes winner Brief Kiss (Brief Truce) and a half-sister to Sydney winner Jewel Of Africa the dam of the stakes-placed Picholine (Dehere), herself the dam of Group I Victoria Derby winner and Group I South Australia Derby winner Rebel Raider (Reset) as well as the talented Group III winner Shamoline Warrior (Shamardal).
Jungle Girl has not had a live foal since Jungle Edge. After not having a mare return submitted for three years, she was dropped from the official records in 2016.
