Popular Victorian sprinter Jungle Edge has been added to the Summer Sprint at Randwick and is likely to become an even more regular visitor to Sydney.
Jungle Edge's affinity for soft and heavy tracks means his opportunities are limited in his home state.
With Randwick a soft (6) on Tuesday and thunderstorms predicted up to Saturday's race meeting, his trainer Mick Bell has decided Jungle Edge can begin his next campaign a little earlier than planned,
Bell is not critical of Victorian tracks which have come under fire recently for being firm, they just don't suit his stable star.
“Of the four metropolitan tracks, Sandown is the one he's most suited to but they mostly run benchmark races there and he's beyond those,” Bell said.
“He goes well in Sydney and the tracks are softer for him.
“I've always trained him around the weather.
“He hasn't had a trial which I would normally give him but he has residual fitness from his last campaign.
“I would say he would do just about all his future racing in Sydney. The prize money is good and they pay down to 10th and the tracks are more likely to suit him.
Jungle Edge received 64.5kg with claiming apprentice Chelsea Hall booked to ride, bringing him down to 61.5kg for what will be his first start since he won over 1200m at Ballarat on November 24.
He is 13 ratings points ahead of Badajoz and Boss Lane who are the next highest-rated on 94 among the 10 entries for the Summer Sprint (1000m).
Although Jungle Edge has won 15 races he has not won on a good-rated surface but Bell points out he is still competitive.
“He ran second to Redzel at Randwick one day when Redzel broke the track record and so did he,” Bell said.
“So he can run on it He just prefers if softer.”
Jungle Edge has won more than $1.2 million for Bell and his fellow owners.
Another Victorian, the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained Star Fall has top weight of 59kg and barrier one in the 1000m-race for three-year-olds at Randwick and has drawn gate 17 in the $2 million Magic Millions Guineas (1400m) at the Gold Coast.
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