Jumal has gone up a notch
It’s an ominous warning, but Rangiora trainer Steven Reid thinks Jumal (Downbytheseaside) is a whole lot better since he was last raced in May.
“To me he feels like a good 20 to 25% better than he was last time, especially mentally,” he said.
The highly talented colt lines up in Friday’s Wai Eyre ‘Lazarus Three Year Old Stakes’ at Addington.
“It doesn’t appear to me that he’s grown a hell of a lot but he’s definitely matured in the body and definitely matured in the head.”
After winning the Group One Garrards NZ Sires’ Stakes Final at Addington in May, Reid turned Jumal out at Reg Storer’s property.
“I’ve never found that he does that well when he spells. Bazooka got injured in a race and was going out for a spell at the same time and I thought bugger it, I’m going to mate them up. I think it’s the best thing I’ve ever done. I’ve continued doing that now that they’re back in work. They live in the paddock together. When you do that, you want to put them in with an older gelding that isn’t going to hurt them but if they go to give them a bit of grief, they will sort them out. What I would say is that Jumal has turned into more like a gelding. Last preparation you could lead him from his paddock to the barn and it was two hands on the lead rope. He could rear. He was just a young colt. Since I’ve had him in with Bazooka, he’s become a lot more level headed.”
Both Bazooka and Jumal race on Friday and Reid says it’ll be interesting to see whether pairing them up on race night helps Jumal relax a bit more pre-race.
“I’m sensing he won’t be so bad now that he’s made it up with Bazooka.”
Jumal has had just one trial, at Rangiora on the 9th September. He was to have another, but it clashed with the raceday commitments at Winton of his regular driver Blair Orange.
“I could have lined him up and driven him myself, but I just took him to Rangiora and worked him with a galloping pacemaker and he worked terrific.”
The colt had a good workout at the Rangiora trial.
“I went 2000 metres in 2-29 and got home in 56 and 26. I drove him myself and thought awesome.”
Reid says he’s upbeat about Jumal’s return.
“Last time when you used to work him, he could sometimes pull up in work and float around. He’s not feeling like that at the moment. He’s feeling like all business. This time in, there’s not one time that he’s switched off. Everything he’s done he’s running through the line.”
Being the highest rated horse in the field, Jumal has drawn the outside of the front row.
“At the end of the day it is an issue. You’ve drawn the outside of the gate fresh up but I feel he’s got better from last time in. When I look at him I think yeah, he’s not very big but he’s extremely athletic, extremely well put together, got great balance and he’s got a turn of foot. I haven’t driven too many with a turn of foot like that. Probably only Monkey King.”
After Friday night, Jumal will be dialled in for the $200,000 New Zealand Derby at Addington on 20th November.
“He’s got a race every fortnight for five starts before the Derby. It’ll be the Lazarus, the Flying Stakes, a $40,000 three year old race at Ashburton, the Derby Prelude then the Derby.”
by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink
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