Jungle Cat (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}) has been knocking on the door in black-type company his entire career, from the time he was placed in four group races at two for trainer Mark Johnston, and the bay at last broke through for his first score in that sphere in Thursday's G2 Al Fahidi Fort at Meydan. Jungle Cat was transferred to Charlie Appleby for an abbreviated 3-year-old campaign and had his first Dubai carnival visit the following season, where he posted a win at the handicap grade before being beaten a nose in the G3 Meydan Sprint. Four summer outings in England included a second to Profitable (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) in the G3 Palace House S. and a fourth behind that same rival in the G1 King's Stand S. Jungle Cat had a busy 5-year-old season, again winning a Meydan handicap and finishing second in the Meydan Sprint before returning to England, where he was runner-up in the G3 Criterion S. and won a Haydock conditions race among six summer outings. Making his 2018 carnival debut on Thursday, Jungle Cat raced keenly out wide without cover and sat second behind Janoobi (SAf) (Silvano {Ger}) on the run into the turn. Gradually making up ground on a game Janoobi in the straight as Dream Castle (GB) (Frankel {GB}) made headway from further back, Jungle Cat struck the lead inside the 200 and was an ultimately cozy winner.
Pedigree Notes…
Jungle Cat is the first stakes winner for the New York stakes winner Mike's Wildcat, who is also responsible for Texas Wildcatter (Monarchos), twice group-placed in Canada as well as New York's G3 Gotham S. Mike's Wildcat died in 2016. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
Thursday, Meydan, Dubai
AL FAHIDI FORT SPONSORED BY DP WORLD-UAE REGION-G2, $250,000, MEY, 2-1, NH4yo/up & SH3yo/up, 1400mT, 1:22.40, gd.
1–JUNGLE CAT (IRE), 126, h, 6, by Iffraaj (GB)
1st Dam: Mike's Wildcat (SW-US), by Forest Wildcat
2nd Dam: Old Flame, by Black Tie Affair (Ire)
3rd Dam: Mistyray, by In Reality
1ST GROUP WIN. O-Godolphin; B-Darley (IRE); T-Charlie
Appleby; J-James Doyle. $150,000. Lifetime Record: MGSP-
Eng, 28-5-9-3, $805,488. *1/2 to Texas Wildcatter
(Monarchos), MGSP-Can & GSP-US, $288,740. Werk Nick
Rating: B+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Janoobi (SAf), 126, c, 4, Silvano (Ger)–Shasta Daisy (SAf), by
Rakeen. (R1,200,000 yrl '15 CAPJAN) O-Sheikh Hamdan bin
Rashid Al Maktoum; B-Maine Chance Farms (Pty) Ltd; T-Mike
de Kock. $50,000.
3–Dream Castle (GB), 126, c, 4, Frankel (GB)">Frankel (GB)–Sand Vixen (GB),
by Dubawi (Ire). O-Godolphin; B-Darley (GB); T-Saeed bin
Suroor. $25,000.
Margins: 3/4, HF, 2 1/4.
Also Ran: D'bai (Ire), Noah From Goa (SAf), Hornsby (GB), Richard Pankhurst (GB), Championship (Ire), Akeed Champion (GB). Click for the Racing Post result. VIDEO.
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