Rain alters Bell’s plans with Jungle Edge

As long as the rain stays around Melbourne, Jungle Edge will run at Sandown.

Trainer Mick Bell is planning to extend Jungle Edge’s campaign to Sandown, provided he gets the right conditions.

Jungle Edge is one of 21 nominations for Saturday’s 1000m-sprint for which he is topweight with 62kg.

Bell intends to start the seven-year-old provided the track is rated in soft range, or worse.

Jungle Edge won the Group Three Kevin Heffernan Stakes at Sandown on November 18 with Bell intending to send the gelding for a spell.

“He was out for one week,” Bell said.

“When the rain came over the weekend we noticed there was a race that he can run in.

“The horse has pulled up all right but I’d be lying if I didn’t say it was an afterthought chucking him in the race.

“We’ll have to claim but we’re a good chance of running, provided the track is a slow five or worse.”

Bell isn’t concerned coming back from the 1300m Jungle Edge was successful over last start.

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He pointed out Jungle Edge had finished last in the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes at Caulfield last year and four weeks later finished second in a 955m sprint at Moonee Valley on Cox Plate day.

“No horse is faster than him, but the worry is whether something takes him on,” Bell said.

“If you’re running quick sectionals early, you’re not going to run them at the end.

“His best distance is probably 1300 or 1400 metres.

“He gets left alone and then he can quicken off a good speed.”

Bell said he was pleased to see the weekend rain as with summer approaching he knows Jungle Edge will need a break from racing.

“I’ve been thinking for a month that it’s over for us, but that’s the way I train him, around the weather,” he said.

“I can’t put him out on a nice piece of grass as he’ll walk himself to death.

“He prefers being in some sort of routine so he’s trained from a paddock and we don’t do a lot of galloping between races.

“It seems to work.”