KEY POINTS:
Co-trainer Roger James is a great believer in taking his chances when they come along.
He may not get a better New Zealand Derby one than the second-shot Jungle Boots gives him at Te Rapa tomorrow.
James is looking for a win from Jungle Boots in the HS
Dyke Waikato Guineas to seal his place in the group one field at Ellerslie on February 28.
But it's a miracle the hugely talented Cambridge 3-year-old is still alive, let alone likely favourite for the $75,000 feature.
Minutes after winning a 3-year-old 1600m feature at Ellerslie three weeks ago, the restless gelding broke free in the birdcage.
With James in hopeless chase he bolted along the chute in front of the grandstand and crashed into a solid metal railing at full gallop.
At best Jungle Boots had no right to hobble away with anything less than a broken shoulder.
But apart from a few bloody scratches and bruises, the tough-as-teak gelding came through with no lasting injuries, much to witnesses' amazement.
"He's 100 per cent now - he's incredibly tough," said James at the Karaka yearling sales yesterday.
James had toyed with delaying Jungle Boots' return to the track to the following weekend for a $35,000 race for 3 and 4-year-olds over 2000m, also at Te Rapa.
But he wants to grab the chance to elevate the gelding up the Derby pecking order while he can.
Yesterday the two-race winner was 24th in the order of entry with a modest $23,787 in stake-earnings from his four starts.
"When you've got the options I like to take them," said James.
"If something goes wrong this week, I can always race him next Saturday, but what if you wait until then and it's a bog?
"And I don't want to give him a final run just two weeks out from the Derby. You could run him over a mile and a half tomorrow and be happy with his fitness."
James's Derby ace Vinny Colgan takes over the reins tomorrow from Leith Innes who was aboard Jungle Boots in his impressive last-start win at Ellerslie.
But James says there wasn't any doubt Colgan, who was suspended during Jungle Boots' last appearance, would be back on the horse.
"Vinny was on the horse before Ellerslie and we've got a pretty good record in the Derby," said James.
Both James and Colgan have won the race four times; three of those together with Roysyn (1995), Zonda (1997) and Hades (1999).
James and training partner Paul Mirabelli saddle three other Guineas runners tomorrow, all of whom have Derby aspirations.
But James says it's impossible to split the chances of Keep The Beel, Easy Ryder and Quartz Reef.
The latter, a Redoute's Choice son of James' group one winning mare Foxwood, is a better hope than his form looks on paper.
James said he's had excuses each time since winning on debut four starts back.
His most hair-pulling effort came last time out when beating just six home in Shanzero's Wellington Stakes.
"Glen Boss had him under a stranglehold at the 100m; he gave him a huge feel but hardly saw daylight," said James.
"He was in front halfway round the turn and Boss came back saying 'you've got a pretty good horse there'."
From his wide gate, James said Keep The Beel will be ridden a little differently than last time when run down late over 2000m in R70 company at Matamata.
The lightly-tried Easy Ryder also has any amount of untapped ability which should be seen to full effect from his cozy inside alley tomorrow.
He only won narrowly against maiden company at Te Rapa on January 15.
Takeanotherchance made a big impression winning the Wanganui Guineas last spring and could show up after being freshened and Heza Karma Karzi was and the Moroney runner and I Robot will have admirers.
DERBY TRIAL
* Many of tomorrow's Waikato Guineas entrants, including Jungle Boots, Izonit and Takeanother-chance, have the $2.2 million Telecom Derby as their ultimate goal.
* Trainer Roger James, seeking his fifth Guineas win, saddles up three runners.
* Jungle Boots was last night's $4.50 favourite.
