A VERY high-class two-year-old, who scored four times in his first racing season, including group events at Ascot and Goodwood, Bungle Inthejungle has retired to cover for the first time in 2015 at the Rathasker Stud at Naas. He is one of only three sons of the very successful Australian stallion Exceed And Excel at stud in Ireland and he stands at a much lower fee than either Excelebration or Helmet.

Trainer Mick Channon had Bungle Inthejungle ready to make his debut as a two-year-old at Newbury in April 2012, but he needed that experience for his first win, a month later at Salisbury, where he led all the way.

Only eight days later he scored again at Beverley, leading before halfway and defeating Top Notch Tonto. Those victories earned him a run in the Listed Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot, where he led until the final furlong, finishing a creditable fourth of the 19 runners, only a length behind the winner Hototo. Then he was sent to Chantilly for the Group 3 Prix du Bois and was a close fifth of the nine runners.

IMPORTANT SUCCESS

By now it was clear that Bungle Inthejungle deserved an important success and that came in the Group 3 Molecomb Stakes over five furlongs at Goodwood, where his finishing speed carried him home in the last few strides to win by a head and three lengths from Morawij and his old foe Hototo.

Two weeks later he was out of the first three in the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes but then he was beaten only half a length by Sir Prancealot in the Group 2 Flying Childers Stakes at Doncaster. Bungle Inthejungle then completed an excellent season by winning the Group 3 Cornwallis Stakes over five furlongs at Ascot in October, leading all way and holding on gamely under top weight by a head from Garswood.

Exceed And Excel, the sire of Bungle Inthejungle, was the champion sprinter in Australia in 2003/4, winning seven races there, including the Dubai Racing Club Invitation Cup at Caulfield and the Newmarket Handicap at Flemington. He has been a sensational success at stud, both in Europe and in Australia, with the winners of some 2,400 races in both hemispheres.

To the end of 2014 he had already sired 87 blacktype winners, nine of those at Group 1 level. His son Excelebration was a champion miler, Margot Did took the Nunthorpe Stakes and Outstrip was sent to Santa Anita to win the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. Exceed And Excel’s other six Group 1 stars were all bred in Australia and probably the best known of those is Helmet, who won the Caulfield Guineas in record time and is now at Kildangan.

Bungle Inthejungle is an own-brother to the listed scorer Waveband and they are two of the nine winners produced by his dam, Licence To Thrill, a daughter of Wolfhound who won two races. Those other winners include Group Therapy, second and third in the Group 2 King George Stakes at Goodwood, and Classic Encounter, who ran third in the Group 3 Norfolk Stakes.

NEXT DAM

The next dam, Crime Of Passion, won the Group 3 Cherry Hinton Stakes at Newmarket and was second in the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes and third in the Group 1 Prix Robert Papin. She bred five winners and traces to Eleanor Cross, the grandam of the very successful sire Pardao. This is also the family of Style Vendome, winner of the Group 1 Poule d’Essai des Poulains in 2013 and now at stud in France.

BUNGLE

INTHEJUNGLE (GB)

Race record: Winner of 4 races in England, £90,640, at 2 years, all at 5 furlongs, inc Cornwallis Stakes, Ascot, Gr.3, and Molecomb Stakes, Goodwood, Gr.3; 2nd Flying Childers Stakes, Doncaster, Gr.2; 4th Coral Charge Sprint Stakes, Sandown Park, Gr.3, and Windsor Castle Stakes, Royal Ascot, L.

Stud record: Retires to stud in 2015.

Stands at: Rathasker Stud, Kilcullen Road, Naas, Co Kildare. Enquiries to Maurice or Madeline Burns on 045 876940, or (mobile) 086 2500687, or e-mail info@rathasker.ie.

Website: www.rathaskerstud.com

Fee: €5,000 (October 1st).