Ex-Paul Nolan filly Jungle Peace extends US record for Bungle Inthejungle

A zig-zag across America proved worthwhile for Italian jockey Umberto Rispoli, who ensured that bargain filly Jungle Peace claimed a landmark victory for her sire Bungle Inthejungle at Santa Anita. The result will also have been greeted with interest by Wexford trainer Paul Nolan and his son Barry, who first unearthed the three-year-old.

Sunday's Senorita Stakes, a Grade 3 over about six and a half furlongs proved the right fit for Jungle Peace, who represents grass-course specialist trainer Phil D'Amato, as she has made rapid headway in remaining unbeaten in three Stateside starts at the same Californian track this year.

Produced by Rathasker Stud, where Bungle Inthejungle stands at just €7,500, she was picked up for €14,000 in Book 2 of the Goffs Orby Yearling Sale by Barry Nolan's Toberona Bloodstock. She was offered at last year's Goffs UK Breeze-Up but was bought back for just £5,000.

The Nolans then tried their luck with Jungle Peace on the track and had her out by Navan last September. A third on what was only her second career start at Dundalk a month later, in which the filly threatened to win and was beaten only a length by the Joseph O'Brien-trained Meg's A Star, prompted a private purchase.

Jungle Peace is campaigned domestically by CYBT, McLean Racing Stables, Jerry McLanahan, Michael Nentwig and Jeremy Peskoff.

"She doesn’t have the best pedigree in the world, but she tries hard," Nentwig said. "We will take a good mare that tries hard over one with a good page any day. We are going to try to stretch her out to a mile before the end of the meet. We are going to try that and hopefully a little later three-year-old races at Del Mar."

Pedigree or not, it will not do the Burns family at Rathasker any harm. Jungle Peace is the second foal out of the War Command mare Peace Treaty, who raced without any success on a handful of occasions for Mark Johnston. Her first foal, Havana Smoke has proved a frustrating maiden for Dylan Cunha. 

A yearling colt by Coulsty was sold by the farm for €5,500 to Simone Bocci at last year's Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale. 

Jungle Peace was keen in the early stages for Rispoli on the unconventional hillside turf course but kept finding all the way to the line to finish a head up on Amorita, who boasted prior black type form. 

The Italian jockey, a decorated competitor back home who has been based in California since 2019, had been in Kentucky on the same morning to work the favourite for this week's Kentucky Derby, Journalism.

Rispoli, who partnered the Curlin colt to a Grade 1 win on April 6 in a principal lead-up race, the Santa Anita Derby, had not been able to work the Michael McCarthy-trained Journalism on Saturday owning to the track being wet and had attempted to catch a flight back to Los Angeles only to suffer problems with a connecting flight in Atlanta. So he returned to Louiville and did it all over again on Sunday. 

"I wish I was here yesterday, I apologise to all the trainers and owners," Rispoli said. "I was stuck five hours in Atlanta. It wasn’t fun at all. I’m glad I made it back and we can enjoy this winner.

"This filly was working well," he continued. "I was really pleased with her works and, her first time down the hill, she acted like a professional. Thankful we got it."

Seven out of Bungle Inthejungle's ten runners in North America have won and they include Manhattan Jungle, coincidentally trained by McCarthy and a Listed winner of Santa Anita's Sweet Life Stakes. He has five Group or Graded winner so far headed by the 2021 Nunthorpe Stakes winner Winter Power.

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