Jungle Johnny Rewriting The Record Books
JUNGLE Johnny will head into Saturday night’s Nowra Puppy Classic Final having set a unique piece of racing history in his emphatic heat win.
STAR chaser Jungle Johnny will head into Saturday night's Group 2 Nowra Puppy Classic Final having set a unique piece of racing history in his emphatic heat win.
The Mark Gatt-trained chaser won his heat in a scintillating 28.98 seconds for the 520m journey, breaking the former track record by almost 3/10s of a second.
In doing so Jungle Johnny became the first greyhound in Australian racing history to break the 29 second mark over 520m on a two-turn track.
The only other greyhound to break 29 seconds over 520m was Shooting Star which ran 28.97 on Sale's old one turn track back in March 2008.
"It's a special piece of history that can never be taken off him," Gatt said.
"I thought he was a chance of going sub 29 because the track has been racing so well of late.
"I also think he can break 29 seconds at Wentworth Park. He and Power And Glory are capable of doing it at Wenty given the right draw and a fast track."
NOWRA FIELDS AND FORM FOR SATURDAY NIGHT
But first things first, Jungle Johnny will be chasing his first 520m feature race win on Saturday when he exits from Box 2, the same draw he exited from in his record-breaking heat win, when he chases the $40,000-to-the-winner purse.
The 26-month-old chaser's biggest win came in the 605m Country Classic, but he's finished the runner-up in the two 520m Group 1s he's contested, the National Derby and Golden Easter Egg.
"I don't mind the draw," Gatt said. "His dangers are the pace dogs.
"I think Canya Sapphire will lead, it's the consistent beginner, and the other speed dogs are Black Myth Wave and Sooty Keeping.
"Johnny's got speed he just doesn't ping the lids like them.
"The three, Zipping Dekkers, moved up the track last week and I'm hoping he does the same on Saturday and that should give Johnny the room he needs to get to where he wants to be and from there, I don't care what's in front of him."
Gatt's had more than his share of outstanding chasers, the likes of Oaks Road, Ritza Lenny, Stanley Road and continues to marvel at the race smarts Jungle Johnny possesses.
"He makes such great decisions in his races," he said. "I don't think I've had a smarter race dog.
"He's even making better decisions than me watching him.
"Last week, going into the first turn I was thinking ‘don't go to the outside' of the leader (Skedaddle Maple) because it's a dog I thought likes to use the track but he actually did the right thing.
"When you make the right decisions as often as he does, it's not luck, it's race smarts and he's got it in spades."
Jungle Johnny is the $1.80 favourite to add his name to the Nowra Puppy Classic Honour Roll.
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