Jungle galloper jets off at Ipswich

By Jordan Gerrans

From the Caloundra jungle and shot around the Ipswich home corner like a jet.

That was how Group 1-winning conditioner David Vandyke and experienced hoop Micheal Hellyer started their Saturday afternoons, which led to the biggest victory of their careers when it comes to winning margin.

Maiden galloper Jungle Jet put a whopping 15.58 lengths on his six rivals to nab the first triumph of his career over 2150 metres.

Caloundra’s Vandyke has prepared some classy gallopers in his time – headlined by Alligator Blood and Gypsy Goddess, among others – but he has never before won a race by such a sizeable margin.

David Fowler was behind the microphone and binoculars on Saturday and was taken aback by the stunning romp from the four-year-old.

“That horse has won by a big margin – the biggest margin I have seen at Ipswich for a while,” Fowler said.

According to the 36-year-old Hellyer, Jungle Jet’s powerful performance was a perfect storm.

The stayer-in-the-making likes the wet, whereas most of his rivals on Saturday were untested in it.

And, the jockey believes the further the races go, that is where the son of Tarzino will shine.

“I had a lovely run in between them and then he led down good,” the hoop said.

“I gave him a bit of a squeeze at the 700 metre mark and he just didn’t stop, he just kept going. I think he just absolutely relished the conditions; the track was quite soggy out there.

“He just kept going as most of the other horses were struggling and he was the only one getting through the ground.

“He has always shown that he is an out-and-out stayer in his previous starts.

“In his start before at the Sunshine Coast, I probably rode him a little too pretty and they outsprinted him. He outstayed them on Saturday.”

Vandyke’s Group 1 Queensland Oaks champion Gypsy Goddess was also by Kiwi stallion Tarzino.

Gypsy Goddess was eventually sold to become a broodmare in Japan.

Jungle Jet ran fifth over 1800 metres at Caloundra earlier this month before starting as a well-backed favourite on Saturday.

“I’ve been a trainer for 31 years and that was the biggest winning margin in all that time,” Vandyke said.

“He hit the line full of running, so it was an amazing win.

“We knew he would improve from his second-up run, but I still didn’t expect that. The horse got the perfect run and he well and truly put them to the sword.

“His post-race recovery was pretty good, so I can’t wait to give him another run in the next few weeks.”

Like Vandyke, Hellyer believes Jungle Jet’s barnstorming run was the biggest winning margin in his time in racing.

The meeting at Ipswich on Saturday was eventually abandoned after four races due to visibility concerns.

The wet conditions played into Jungle Jet’s massive margin as Hellyer was unsure just how far the chasing pack was behind him in the home straight.

“To be honest, I was a little bit embarrassed because my goggles were a bit foggy,” the jockey said.

“I actually looked at the 100 metre mark and I could only just see past my shoulder and I thought at that time that they must have been pretty far behind me.

“But, I couldn’t see them and I thought as my guy is a big stayer, I thought I better keep riding anyway to the line.

“Usually if you are that far in front, you just sit up – but I couldn’t really see properly.

“When I went to past the winning post, I couldn't believe the margin when the caller said it. To me, he did it very easy.”

With his first victory under his belt now after eight attempts, Hellyer believes there is more to come for the promising stayer.

He had placed on four occasions before breaking through on Saturday.

“I definitely think he can go on with it after winning by that far,” Hellyer said.

“The wetter the better for him.

“He would like 2200 metres and more – he will absolutely relish it the further he goes. I am sure David will find another race for him.

“If he finds another race around this trip on a wet track, he is going to be very hard to beat.”

A group of Jungle Jet’s owners were on course at the Bundamba track on Saturday to celebrate the victory.

The Vandyke barn have been in-form in recent weeks, collecting five winners since the calendar ticked over to November.