It has been over five years since Jungle Edge retired from racing but one punter remembers the gelding’s Yarra Valley win on a Heavy 10 like it was yesterday. 

“The track was deadset bottomless and he swam through it to win at $9,” Clint Bootsma said of the BM70 in March of 2016.

“I knew that day that I’d found a pretty special relationship.”

This masthead understands that Bootsma backed Jungle Edge every time the gelding raced on a wet track, doubling his bet when the deck was a swamp. 

“He was money for old rope on a genuine heavy,” he said.

A special investigation conducted by The Pakistan Star can reveal that 18 of Jungle Edge’s wins came on rain-affected tracks, with the Mick Bell-trained sprinter going zero from 29 starts on good or synthetic ground. 

“It was the best time of my life. I’d lay there at night, listening to the rain on the roof and just feeling so safe and secure. 

“These days? I’m taking pathetic same-race multis with horses to run top eight,” said an emotional Bootsma, revealing that things were “especially difficult” during the wet winter months. 

The escalator technician says he has tried to find other ‘mudders’ to fill the void, but nothing compares to “your first”. 

“I don’t mind First Chorus but she jumps favourite every start, she just feels a bit safe. You could always get a price with ‘Jungle’.”

More to follow.