Ferdinand Boy to bring up 50!

[Wandering Eyes]

Country cups king Ferdinand Boy is set to celebrate a remarkable 50^th career victory in Sunday night’s heats of The Horizon (440m) at Sale.

The David Geall-trained superstar has won 49 of his 85 starts – at an incredible 58 per cent strike rate – and will start favourite to chalk up his half-century when he exits Box 6 in the last of three heats, Race 7 at 6.42pm.

“He’s just an incredible dog,” said David Geall, who won the 2021 Melbourne Cup with Ferdinand Boy’s ‘cousin’ Koblenz.

“Up Hill Jill got up to 38 wins and I thought that was high enough.”

“Up Hill Jill got up to 38 wins and I thought that was high enough.

“Ferdinand Boy has had over 80 starts now and he’s showing no signs at all of slowing down.”

A four-time country cups winner, Ferdinand Boy is the defending Horizon champion, taking out the inaugural running of the $25,000 to-the-winner sprint last year.

The January ’19 son of Fernando Bale and Nayla Swift is undefeated in seven appearances at Sale, also winning the Sale Sprint Championship last October, and is chasing a tenth straight victory.

“He’s going for ten in a row; even when he was starting off he couldn’t do that – he might have won five in a row a couple of times,” said Geall.

WATCH: FERDINAND BOY (B2) won the inaugural running of The Horizon (440m) at Sale on June 21 last year, prevailing in a thrilling duel with DR. TUCKER (B8) in a fast 24.59sec.

“He hasn’t put a foot wrong at Sale so far, which is pretty good over the 440m, because it can be a little bit tricky.

“The beauty of this dog is that wherever you take him, he’s always a show.

“I really take my hat off to him because I think Group racing over 450m is harder than ‘500’. It’s red-hot and you’ve got less margin for error.

“It’s like having eight Carl Lewis or Usain Bolts lined up and that first 50 metres is so critical!”

Geall returned from a trip to the English Derby on Thursday morning and was straight back on duty at Sandown Park, qualifying Stout Monelli and Hill Top Jack for next week’s G2 McKenna Memorial final (595m).

FERDINAND BOY winning the recent Pink Diamond Champion Sprinter final.

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