KERANG galloper Jittery Jack made light work of Moonee Valley’s heavy 10 track, slogging his way to a comprehensive victory on Saturday.
The John Matheson trained gelding made it two wins on the trot in the city, backing up his recent success at Flemington with an incredible seven length win in treacherous conditions.Jittery Jack again combined with apprentice jockey Liam Riordan who took him to the front early in the mile race and never gave the other runners a look in.
That was despite the waterlogged track, rated a maximum heavy 10, with Jittery Jack’s Race 5 win proving to be the Valley’s final action of the day.
Stewards elected to call off the last four races, with the persistent rain flooding parts of the track.
While Jittery Jack was to be part of a 13-horse field, six would-be competitors were scratched.
With mud flying during the race, the racing.com commentator described the challenge presented by conditions.
“This is like a 2500 metre race,” he said of the 1600m affair as rain continued tumbling.
Jittery Jack’s Kerang-based trainer, John Matheson, was concerned about the energy-sapping track.
The recent 1410 metre race at Flemington was the furthest distance Jittery Jack had competed over previously.
“We were starting to worry he might get a bit tired towards the end, but the others were just as tired as him,” Matheson said.
“They were coming in like brown’s cows.”
Despite the scratchings of almost half the Race 5 field, Matheson was not concerned the track conditions would present a danger to his runner.
“We knew he’d get through the ground,” he said.
Jittery Jack again carried 56.5 kilograms, as he did in his Flemington win a fortnight ago, but the Moonee Valley race was rated a higher-grade event.
Matheson believes Saturday’s Valley track would have been rated heavy 11 or 12 if the scale extended that far.
He thanked owners and Kerang breeders Sandra Peacock and Keith Pertzel for letting him train the horse, as well as noting the ongoing efforts of his sprightly 68-year-old trackwork rider, Wayne ‘Tige’ Neville.
