Improving sprinter Jm Jungle (14/1) took another step up the ladder with a battling success in the G2 King George Qatar Stakes for John & Sean Quinn.
A handicap winner at this meeting in 2023, the five-year-old landed the Dash at Epsom Downs on Derby day and finished third in a Listed race at York last time out.
The 12 runners split into two groups, with Jm Jungle racing prominently in a larger group towards the far rail that included G1 winners Asfoora and Time For Sandals.
Jason Hart delivered Jm Jungle to lead narrowly a furlong out, with his mount showing a great attitude thereafter to repel Irish raider She’s Quality (9/1) by a neck. Time For Sandals (10/3) was half a length further back in third, having been impeded when coming with her run.
This was a second win in the five-furlong highlight for the Quinns, who were successful with star mare Highfield Princess in 2023.
Sean Quinn said: “American Affair touched Jm Jungle off up at Musselburgh in the Sprint Cup and then at York at the Dante meeting. I was at Royal Ascot when Jim’s [Goldie] horse won and I thought, ‘I’m going to have to have a fiver on this because the way he’s been beating our horse, he has to be a Group One horse’. It is just very good sprint form.
“Without making excuses, I thought Jm Jungle ran very well at York last time in a race that wasn’t very quickly run. Shane Gray gave his horse a lovely ride out in front, he stacked them up, whereas today they’ve gone lickety-split and Jm Jungle loves that.
“It was easier watching Highfield Princess because she never looked like getting beat. I was hoping, willing for the line to come in the last furlong today, but it did and he toughed it out. The second came to him and I think he went again.
“He is so good on these downhill tracks, but then he’s good at York – he is just a good horse. He is probably not as good going up a hill – we ran him at Ascot last year, when he might have been over the top, but he finished fifth. Whether that’s because he was over the top or because it was uphill, I don’t really know, but we don’t have to worry about that too much.
“Jason said after York that he would love to ride him in the Nunthorpe because they will go lickety-split and that will suit him really well. He is a Group Two winner now and we don’t have far to go, 20 odd miles, so that is something to look forward to."
Hart said: “I got some kick out of that because we may be lacking a little bit of class in the yard at the minute and for him to step up. Highfield Princess won this and there was a bit more pressure on that day because she was a warm favourite. It is just magical. He won the three-year-old handicap here on poor ground as well. This is probably one of my favourite meetings of the year. John and Sean always target this Goodwood meeting and they rarely leave without the goods.”
Jack Davison, trainer of She’s Quality, said: “She is a super filly. That is four seconds this year now at a high level. I think it will all come good in the Nunthorpe. The rain probably didn’t help but I am very proud of her. She is the best sprinter in Ireland. It is a pleasure to bring her over here and compete against the best the UK has to offer.’’
Harry Eustace said of Time For Sandals: “She has run enormous. Today more than anything was to see how competitive she could be under those conditions, with a penalty and back at five furlongs on a sharp track. She certainly looked at home but over five you need everything to go right and she just couldn't get herself into the gap when she needed to. My gut feeling watching that was that she should go to six furlongs for the Haydock Sprint Cup.”
Favourite Big Mojo finished fifth and his jockey Tom Marquand said: “The sticky ground probably just dragged him down a bit when I took him off the bridle, and I had a slight momentum check which cost him fourth instead of fifth.’’
Henry Dwyer, trainer of Asfoora (7th), said: “It was a good run, but she probably just got a bit bogged down in the ground. Oisin [Murphy] said she felt great and didn’t get beaten by fitness. It is very hard to make up ground today. She made up a good bit from the two furlong to the one furlong and then felt the pinch in the last 50 yards. We knew she would be up against it. She has run a creditable race and we have a lot of optimism going forward for races which will suit her better. Assuming she pulls up well, we will be going to York.”
