Waiting on the edge

TRAINER Mick Bell has a last-minute message to The Everest slot-holders — you’d be crazy not to promote his gun wet-tracker, Jungle Edge, into Saturday’s race.

“It’s going to be a heavy track at Randwick and who else would you want to have represent you than Jungle Edge?” Bell said.

“If a slot-holder changes their mind, he’s the obvious best choice on a heavy track.”

As it stands, Jungle Edge is one of six emergencies for The Everest and will take his place in the $500,000 Sydney Stakes, a 1200m race for horses that didn’t gain an Everest slot.

One emergency has already been promoted, Osborne Bulls replacing stablemate Home Of The Brave, who had a temperature.

Bell said on a heavy track Redzel would be the horse to beat in The Everest and Jungle Edge had run second to him in March in the Challenge Stakes on a dry track at Randwick. Bell’s plan all year has been to get into The Everest.

In June when Jungle Edge won at Randwick, Bell put a proposal to the ATC that it should select Jungle Edge under the banner of the battler’s horse.

“I thought they might have gone for it. The idea was the prizemoney won by me to be shared 50-50 with the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical research into breast cancer.”

Bell said that offer still stood if Jungle Edge got into The Everest but regardless he would go 50-50 with any prizemoney won in the $500,000 Sydney Stakes.

Until the final cut-off point, the Cranbourne trainer will keep his fingers crossed.