Jerry the Best Stayer in Gr.3 NZ Cup

A supreme staying performance has seen Mungo Jerry (NZ) (Don Eduardo) win the Group 3 $225,000 Christchurch Casino 151st New Zealand Cup at Riccarton Park in emotional circumstances.

Mungo Jerry (NZ) triumphant in the Group 3 Christchurch Casino Christchurch Cup. Photo courtesy of Race Images Chch.

A year ago Mungo Jerry was on death’s door following a bad bout of colic but trainers Adrian and Harry Bull nursed him back to health with the assistance of their vets to win yesterday’s prestigious Group 3 event.

“It wasn’t a nice feeling seeing him in the paddock like that so it was definitely an emotional win for everyone involved,” commented Harry Bull.

“To be honest he doesn’t have to win a race again. He will go for a little break now and we will bring him back up and see how he goes.”

Rider Kelly Myers elected to miss the start on Mungo Jerry as he was drawn the outside barrier in the 18-horse field, and headed straight to the rails at the tail of the field with the race run at a fast pace.

The field headed to centre track in the straight with Myers on Mungo Jerry saving ground along the inside. The son of Don Eduardo proved his staying prowess as he wore down his rivals and surged clear to win by 1.3 lengths.

“I think a lot of people didn’t think he stayed but it’s just his pattern of racing, he gets back and runs on but doesn’t always finish it off,” said Bull. “Kelly got off the week before and said if he was to win we would need to ride for luck and hope the gaps would come. She rode exactly that way and it was a top ride.”

Saturday’s victory was Mungo Jerry’s fifth career win from 41 starts with earnings totalling $244,925 for his owners Makaraka Bloodstock Ltd.

Mungo Jerry was purchased by NZB as agent for $50,000 as a two-year-old at the 2009 National Weanling, Broodmare and Mixed Bloodstock Sale from Seaton Park.

Bred by the Estate of the late E W Hopson, Mungo Jerry is out of seven-time winner Grovana (Grosvenor), a Group 3 placegetter. His second dam is New Zealand Filly of the Year Impasada (Imperial Seal), a winner of two Group 2 races and one at Group 3 level.

His sire Don Eduardo has one horse entered in New Zealand Bloodstock’s Ready to Run Sale this week (19 & 20 November). The Ready to Run Sale, the most successful Sale of its kind in Australasia, has attracted a catalogue of 396 two-year-olds.

To view the Ready to Run Sale catalogue, click here. For sales news and information, visit www.nzb.co.nz.