FOUR-time Country Cup hero Ferdinand Boy has been retired after hopes of a farewell to racing in the fast approaching Pink Diamond Veteran series were dashed due to injury.
Without question one of the most gifted one-turn sprinters of his generation, Ferdinand Boy bows out from racing with the remarkable record of 52 wins and 29 placings from 106 career starts.
Boasting a nearly 50 per cent winning strike-rate, the son of Fernando Bale (ex Nayla Swift) amassed stake earnings of $554,355, with his four Country Cup triumphs supplemented by a raft of other big race successes.
“It would have been nice to give him a proper farewell to racing but these things happen,” trainer David Geall said.
Outstanding!! Ferdinand Boy takes out the Shepparton Cup Final in a track record time of 24.752 👏👏 pic.twitter.com/lgUKW4kzN6
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) March 20, 2021
“He hurt himself at Ballarat at his final start but it wasn’t the leg muscle that sidelined him for six months. He’ll live the life of luxury at home now and if people want to use him at stud, we have some straws there.”
It was pulsating Group 2 Cup victories at Shepparton, Warrnambool, Healesville and Ballarat which earned the prolific winning Ferdinand Boy the title of ‘Country Cups King’.
“It’s not easy to win one let alone four of them,” Geall said.
“I’ll never have another dog win four country cups but he won a lot of other big races as well like the Ballarat Derby, Sale Horizon and Pink Diamond Sprint.
“He just had that unbelievable early pace and competitive streak. It didn’t matter where he raced or from what box, he just more often than not got the job done.”
Having raced greyhounds the caliber of superstar two-turn group 1 winners Up Hill Jill, My Redeemer, Koblenz and Fernando Mick, Geall knows what it takes to win at the highest level.
But while Ferdinand Boy was never tested around two turns, the two-time Melbourne Cup winning trainer says he could have made a good fist of things had he been given the opportunity.
“Box to box at Sandown one day he went 4.96-18.53,” Geall reflected.
It was Ferdinand Boy taking out the G2 Healesville Cup Final @HVLGreys 👌 pic.twitter.com/TbCBTFoRLY
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) September 12, 2021
“I’ve got no doubt he could have won his races around Sandown and The Meadows but wouldn’t have had the career he had overall.
“After a trial at Sandown early on he had a bad bout of water diabetes and I just made the decision to keep him to the one-turn. I’ve got no regrets, it’s turned out great.”
With retirement now having arrived for the immensely popular Ferdinand Boy, Geall said it’s given he and wife Rose the chance to reflect on what was a remarkable career.
“Often when you’re in the moment you don’t take things in as well as you should because you’re looking at what’s next,” he added.
“You look back now and see what he’s been able to achieve and it really is quite amazing.
“I was at Shepparton the other day and even just seeing his name on the plaques acknowledging past Cup winners is something you look back on now fondly.
“He really is a one in a million race dog.”