David Geall is bending the bow, pulling back the string for a second shot with Ferdinand Boy at The Arrow (350m) – a match race series up the straight track at Healesville.
Geall took aim with his ‘country cups king’ in the inaugural staging of the event last year and just missed the ‘bulls-eye’, finishing second to Zambora Lou.
Ferdinand Boy – reigning Healesville Cup monarch – is again targeting the $28,000 The Arrow, which carries a $20,000 first prize for the overall winner plus $2500 to the winner of each match race.
Consisting of four two-sprinter match races, The Arrow is a sweepstakes event, requiring connections to put up a $1000 entry fee.
It’s an intriguing addition to Healesville’s ‘Festival of Racing’ and provides an ideal lead-up to the G2 Healesville Cup heats on September 4.
“But by the time the Healesville Cup series comes around, he’ll be back to his best.”
The Arrow is Race 9 and has the following schedule:
Match Race 1 – 1:37pm – KEPAL (Rug 1) & ZIGZAG CABANG (Rug 2)
Match Race 2 – 1:47pm – PANAMA CANAL (Rug 3) & PAUA OF BUDDY (Rug 4)
Match Race 3 – 1:58pm – ASTON EXCEED (Rug 5) & SILVER BRUTE (Rug 6)
Match Race 4 – 2:09pm – QUINLAN BALE (Rug 7) & FERDINAND BOY (Rug 8)
Greyhounds will jump from boxes 1 or 3 (odd numbers from box 1, even numbers from box 3).
Overall finishing position of the event will be determined by the times recorded in each match race, with the fastest being the winner.
“He was under-done a fair bit last week,” said Geall of Ferdinand Boy’s narrow second to Kepal at Healesville. “It was unusual territory as he’s nearly always 100 per cent fit leading into a race.
“I had to go a little bit earlier than expected and was surprised he only got beaten a neck. I thought he was 4-5 lengths off his best.
“I would have liked a couple more weeks up my sleeve but ran out of time… He’s not ready to break 19 seconds at Healesville. (Ferdinand Boy has an 18.88sec PB, set in last year’s Healesville Cup final.)
“But by the time the Healesville Cup series comes around, he’ll be back to his best. Defending his ‘cup crown’ is the main target.”
Ferdinand Boy – winner of four provincial cups and 50 races from 89 starts – hurt himself at Goulburn in a lead-up to the Southern Stars.
“He was severely checked and nearly fell … He went down on his nose but still managed to finish third,” Geall informed.
“Subsequently, he sustained a laceration over the fibula/tibia bone on his right hind leg and associated bruising which kept him out for a month.
WATCH: FERDINAND BOY (B5) wins the 2021 G2 Healesville Cup.
