Jungle Cry turns in strong performance in Robert Dupret Derby
Favored Jungle Cry ($3.20) turned in a solid effort while scoring a convincing victory in the $52,000 Robert Dupret Derby on Saturday during Wine Country Racing at Golden Gate Fields.
Jungle Cry ran virtually in tandem with filly Shore Break in the 1 1/16-mile turf race for 3-year-olds, leading by a head at each call until turning for home when jockey Catalino Martinez let out a notch, and Jungle Cry pulled away.
Code Duello, who had been sitting third, tried to go with him but was no match as Jungle Cry won by 2 1/2 lengths, covering the 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.92. Shore Break was third, another 2 1/4 lengths back, holding off the filly Misty Cry by a neck.
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“I figured he'd do about that,” winning trainer Steve Specht said of Jungle Cry's effort. “He's a good horse, but he's no superstar Grade-1 type.”
Specht, who lives in Santa Rosa and would have loved to win in his hometown, says Jungle Cry seems a good fit for Northern California racing.
He ran third in the Alcatraz in his turf debut here and then won an allowance race. He ran seventh at 57 to 1 in the Oceanside at Del Mar but had a troubled trip and lost by only two lengths.
Jungle Cry raced outside Shore Break, who had won two straight turf races here for Hall of Fame trainer Neil Drysdale, as they raced through honest fractions of 23.82, 49.21, 1:13.89.
But it was a one-horse race through the lane.
Jungle Cry, a gelded son of Animal Kingdom, earned $30,350 for his first stakes win and third career victory to go with three thirds in nine starts. He has now earned $86,790 for owner Fairview LLC.
