Long live ‘King’ Ferdinand

[Wandering Eyes]

‘Country cups king’ Ferdinand Boy reigned supreme in Wednesday night’s $70,335 Group 2 Macey’s Bistro Warrnambool Cup (450m).

Prepared at Lara by David Geall, Ferdinand Boy retained his ‘throne’ with a fourth G2 country cup win.

He also won last year’s Shepparton, Ballarat and Healesville cups, where he won a $50,000 GRV bonus for winning three country cups in a calendar year.

Amazingly, it was Ferdinand Boy’s eighth appearance in a G2 country cup final.

Ferdinand Boy ($3.30) ordained with an ‘iron paw’, taking the $47,000 first prize in a majestic 25.02sec on a rain-affected track.

He defeated the Brooke Ennis-trained Old News ($9.40) by 3.2L, with the heavily backed Mepunga Mustang ($2.90F), prepared by Jeff Britton, a further 1.6L away third. It was a ‘Geelong region’ trifecta.

Ferdinand Boy notched his 43rd win from 79 starts and seventh win from 11 starts over Warrnambool’s 450m sprint trip. The winner’s purse catapulted his stakes to $404,480.

A winner of nine of his past 13 starts, Ferdinand Boy (Jan ’19 Fernando Bale x Nayla Swift) ran his rivals ragged and never looked like being beaten. In fact, he broke their hearts.

RACE HIGHLIGHTS

WATCH: Ultimate professional Ferdinand Boy landed the fourth country cup of his stellar career when taking out the 2022 Group 2 Warrnambool Cup in 25.02sec.

WATCH: Substantial (3) never gave in when scoring a sensational bob-of-the-head victory over the front-running Hennessey (1) in another classic Cup Night Match Race.

WATCH: Mobile Legend (4) scores a thrilling last-to-first win in the Stan Lake Memorial.

WATCH: There’s My Spot (6) cashed in on his persistence with a terrific win in the WGRC Members Cup Final.

WATCH: Aston Pablo (3) scored a remarkable win in the Wannon Function Centre Go Distance Racing feature after coming from the tail of the field.

FEATURE RACE WINNERS

$70,335 Group 2 Warrnambool Cup:
Ferdinand Boy (David Geall, Lara)
$10,000 Cup Night Match Race:
Substantial (Anthony Azzopardi, Rowsley)
$7,335 Stan Lake Memorial Final:
Mobile Legend (Daryl Brennan, Ross Creek)
$5,825 Wannon Function Centre GDR:
Aston Pablo (Jack Campbell, Anakie)
$4,750 WGRC Members Cup Final:
There’s My Spot (Jason Sharp, Avalon)

WARRNAMBOOL CUP:
Final standings

FERDINAND BOY (David Geall, Lara)
OLD NEWS (Brooke Ennis, Lara)
MEPUNGA MUSTANG (Jeff Britton, Anakie)
25.017sec

“I’ve got to find another space for it (the trophy),” quipped Geall’s wife, Rose, who bred and owns Ferdinand Boy.

“It was a gutsy win. He didn’t get ‘touched’ tonight and that helped.”

When quizzed on Ferdinand Boy’s future and a potential career as a sire, Rose replied: “We haven’t looked at anything further ahead.

“He’s broken track records and chases his heart out; I think he’ll get his fair share at stud.

“We’ll race him for as long as he wants to, as long as he’s fit and healthy.”

Pawnote: The G2 Warrnambool Cup was the fourth and final leg of GRV’s ‘Western Festival of Racing’, which also included the G2 Horsham Cup (won by Typhoon Sammy), G2 Ballarat Cup (Compliance) and G2 Geelong Gold Cup (Yozo Bale), during which more than $700,000 in prizemoney was distributed.

Photos by Clint Anderson

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