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By Brad Gray
At Royal Randwick

Is Jungle Edge the best wet tracker in Australia?

Trainer Mick Bell certainly believes so. For arguments sake, let’s discount Winx. With the star mare excused, he very well could be with all 14 of his career wins coming on rain-affected going.

Jungle Edge taking out the June Stakes

The seven-year-old bounced back to form in the $150,000 Listed June Stakes (1100m) at Royal Randwick and after controlling the race from the front, never really looked like losing. The victory also bumped his prize money total over the magical million dollar mark.

“I was very happy how he was travelling in the run. I thought ‘this is the old Jungle Edge’. It’s hard to get heavy tracks and when he has ever got them, he shows them he is the best wet tracker in Australia. I think he is and has earned the title for that,” gushed Bell.

“He put in three ordinary runs but there were excuses. We got him back home for a couple of weeks and he seemed to enjoy it.”

Jungle Edge’s regular jockey Kevin Forrester said that the Dubawi gelding really felt the ground in the Challenge Stakes first up behind Redzel, where they broke the track record, and that was to blame for the subsequent string of poor runs.

“He is a powerful horse but not easy to ride and at the 600m he said ‘I’m going’ so I said ‘okay lets go’. I still held him together, in that ground you have to hold them together. He just glides over the top of it. He is a marvelous horse and makes my job easy,” said Forrester.

Jungle Edge is the best wet tracker in Australia according to Mick Bell.

If Winx doesn’t count, no arguments here! Well done team. pic.twitter.com/P3cdIXad70

— Racing NSW (@racing_nsw) June 9, 2018

The Winter Dash (1200m) back at Royal Randwick in a fortnight is the next race Bell is eyeing off for Jungle Edge before suggesting tongue-in-cheek that he is open to Everest offers.

“I was joking a little when I mentioned The Everest but if it was a heavy 10 he’d give anything a run for its money,” Bell said.

“We’ll just continue to follow the weather with him. For a little bit there I lost my weather mojo but it’s back now.

“He is the horse of a lifetime. What a dream come true to get a horse that has clocked over $1 million, it’s absolutely unbelievable. He is a beautiful horse and the ride continues.”

Check out the results and replays for Royal Randwick on Saturday.