Another Group Three for Jay Bee Gee (NZ)
23 September 2024
Pencarrow graduate Jay Bee Gee (NZ) (Complacent) completed a Group Three double within the first two months of the new season when he ran his rivals into the ground in Saturday’s $100,000 Hunterville Vet Club Metric Mile (1600m) at Wanganui.
Previously a winner by just two noses in a nail-biting finish to the Winter Cup (1600m) at Riccarton on August 3, Jay Bee Gee landed his second feature prize of the season with much more ease.
Ridden by Kelly Myers, Jay Bee Gee went forward from his wide gate and took the lead within the first 100 metres of the race, and he proceeded to dominate the race from there.
Jay Bee Gee powered clear around the home turn and opened up a big margin, and he still had a length and a three-quarters up his sleeve at the finish despite easing up in the final 100 metres.
Trained and part-owned by Adrian Bull, Jay Bee Gee has now had 22 starts for seven wins, five placings and $240,960 in stakes. He was offered by Bradbury Park in Book 2 of Karaka 2019, where Harry Bull bought him for $26,000.
“He (Jay Bee Gee) is special, and the Bulls are a special family,” Myers said. “It’s so, so nice to win in these colours.
“I was happy to take a sit behind Tobias (NZ) (Complacent) today, but then I thought, you know what? He only has 53.5 kilograms, so we’ll take the bull by the horns. The inside part of the track was still good, so it worked out.
“He pulled himself up something chronic halfway up the straight. He thought it was Sunday and pricked his ears and loafed to the line. He had a lot more up his sleeve. I don’t know whether we should put some blinkers on going forward, but he’s a talented horse going through the grades.”
Jay Bee Gee is out of Pencarrow’s remarkable mare Huluava (NZ) (Pins), who is the dam of nine winners from nine foals to race. Jay Bee Gee is one of two stakes winners in that group, alongside the dual Listed winner William Wallace (NZ) (Darci Brahma), while Huluava’s daughter Hirondelle (NZ) (Sepoy) is herself the dam of Group One winner Pignan (NZ) (Staphanos).
Huluava has enjoyed an outstanding start to the 2024-25 season, with her daughters Branciforti (NZ) (NZ) (Belardo) and Harmonious (NZ) (Turn Me Loose) winning races in August worth $100,000 and $35,000 respectively. Both race in the blue and white colours of Pencarrow.