‘Cups King' Ferdinand Boy Makes Winning Return

COMEBACK sprint star Ferdinand Boy will head towards his third tilt at the Group 2 Ballarat Cup (450m) after making a winning return to racing at Horsham on Friday night.

Ferdinand Boy (Fernando Bale-Nayla Swift) was all but retired to stud after tearing a back muscle at Goulburn in October.

David and Rose Geall collected 20 straws of semen from him during his break.

“But, he was having nothing of retirement,” said David.

“He was getting really depressed that he could not go racing and was moping around the place at home.

“We worked very hard on the leg with physio and he has made a remarkable recovery.

“Especially for a dog like him who relies so much on a power surge from those hind legs to drive through to the lead.”

Boy, what a return! ?

FERDINAND BOY displayed his brilliance at Horsham by taking out his first race since contesting the Group 3 #GoulburnCup Final on October 21.

The four-time country cup champion now boasts 52 wins and 25 minor placings from 99 starts.#GreyhoundRacing pic.twitter.com/JPxpK2GJjO

— WatchDog Racing (@WatchDogRacing) March 24, 2023

Ferdinand Boy ran 22.96 to win a Veterans 410m race at Horsham on Friday night beating Aston Profit and Gypsy Yankee.

It was his 99th race start and 52nd win to takes his stakes to $552,000.

He has already won a Ballarat Cup as well as Cups at Shepparton, Warrnambool and Healesville, the Horizon and a Pink Diamond Sprint and the Ballarat Derby.

The Ballarat Cup will be run in heats on March 31 with the final on April 7 worth $47,000 to the winner.

“This will be his third Ballarat Cup series,” said David Geall.

“But, that old cliché of one race at a time is certainly apt with Ferdinand Boy at the moment.

“But that dog owes us nothing.”