THE first race on Devonport Cup day took what seemed forever to be run and won but the eventual outcome would have pleased Brighton trainer Rod Seymour.
His three-year-old Geegees Drummerboy had shown above average ability on the training track but had failed to reproduce it in races until he produced an eye-catching run to finish second on the synthetic track on Boxing Day.
So it was with an air of renewed confidence that he saddled him up at the same venue last Wednesday and the gelded son of Wordsmith didn’t let him down.
It was the first leg of a winning double for Jason Lyon who also scored aboard Flash Al Moon that caused a boilover when she defeated the odds-on favourite Rebel Bride in a $25,000 quality handicap for fillies and mares over 1150 metres.
The opening race was delayed for about 30 minutes because of horses being involved in barrier mishaps.
The favourite Our Casanova was the first to go down in the stalls and that resulted in her losing her bridle which was being replaced when another runner Frogmore Mal became fractious and he also got down in his stall with apprentice Chantal Willis luck to escape serious injury.
Had it not been for the heroics and intuitive response from barrier attendant Rick Jones Willis could have been seriously injured.
Jones saw the gelding going down in the barrier and the four-year-old was kicking out with Willis trying to prevent herself from falling to the ground and that’s when Jones leapt onto the barrier frame and plucked the rider out of harms way.
Jones performed the heroic feat with a broken and fractured left wrist and forearm that was caused from being kicked by a horse just prior to the Frogmore Mal incident.
Listen to what trainer Rod Seymour had to say about Geegees Drummerboy’s win.