3 minute read

It seems ironic that a horse that loves the mud may miss a race because of 'mud fever'. 

Jungle Edge has been struck down by the ailment which his trainer Mick Bell says is likely to keep the sprinter from taking his place in the $200,000 Group 2 McEwen Stakes (1000m) at The Valley on Saturday. 

Mud Fever goes by many different terms such as rain rot, equine dermatitis or greasy heel and is a bacterial, and in some cases fungal, infection that causes irritation and inflammation of the skin. 

Bell said the recent wet spell had brought out the condition in Jungle Edge and combined with the likelihood of a firm track the trainer was favouring bypassing Saturday's race. 

"I'd like him to be running but he's got a skin irritation caused by wet conditions," Bell said. 

"It's only a minor hiccup but it can give them a slight infection and I need to get on top of it. 

"I'm not 100 per cent sure that I won't run, but it looks like being a good track on Saturday in a fairly small field, but they all go alright. 

"It's fairly hard to know what to do, but if I don't run I can treat this little ailment a little more aggressively." 

Bell is finally over the disappointment of a missed start in the Listed Carlyon Stakes (1000m) at The Valley on August 22. 

That meeting was called off following five races after persistent rain. 

If Jungle Edge misses a start on Saturday, Bell has options with the veteran sprinter, especially now all Victorian horses can cross the border into NSW to race. 

"It's good we can go to Sydney now as I can send the horse to Bob Pearce in Sydney and he can stay in my name which is OK," Bell said. 

"So we'll keep our eye on Sydney or another race that we could go for is the (Group 1) Moir Stakes (at The Valley on September 25) if it happened to be wet. 

"But you have no control over the weather. 

"It's a very cruel mistress, because when you run and it dries out, it makes you look like a fool."