Metric Mile Masterclass by Jay Bee Gee (NZ)

The career-best form of Karaka graduate Jay Bee Gee (NZ) (Complacent) continued with a dominant front-running performance in Saturday’s $100,000 Group Three Hunterville Vet Club Metric Mile (1600m) at Wanganui.

It was the second Group Three win in the last three starts for Jay Bee Gee, who was a $26,000 purchase by Harry Bull from Bradbury Park’s Book 2 draft at Karaka 2019. Jay Bee Gee has now had 22 starts for seven wins, five placings and $240,960 in stakes.

Jay Bee Gee claimed his first black-type win in a desperate photo finish to the Group Three Winter Cup (1600m) at Riccarton in early August, edging out Freeze Frame (NZ) (Vadamos) and Bradman (NZ) (Pins) by two noses. Saturday’s Metric Mile played out completely differently.

Jockey Kelly Myers allowed the seven-year-old to stride forward and take the lead within the first 100 metres of the race, and he had the race firmly under his control from that point on. Jay Bee Gee produced a powerful kick around the home turn and careered away, opening up a commanding lead of three or four lengths.

That margin shrank through the final 150 metres as Jay Bee Gee began to ease up while Chase (NZ) (Zed) and Master Marko (NZ) (Contributer) finished strongly out of the pack, but he was never in any danger of defeat and won by a length and three-quarters.

Jay Bee Gee is trained by Adrian Bull, who shares ownership with his son Harry.

“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 was bred by Pencarrow Stud and is out of Huluava (NZ) (Pins), who is the dam of eight other winners including stakes performer William Wallace (NZ) (Darci Brahma). Huluava is also the granddam of Group One winner Pignan (NZ) (Staphanos).