FORMER Tasmanian Derby winner Geegees Blackflash confirmed his status as the state’s best galloper when he made a top class field of weight-for-age performers look ordinary in the Power & Automation Weight=For-Age over 1400 metres at The TOTE Racing Centre in Launceston tonight (Wednesday).
With Victorian jockey Peter Mertens in the saddle Geegees Blackflash enjoyed the run of the race in fifth position one-off the fence with cover but when Mertens eased him three-wide to make his run at the top of the home straight the Paul and Elizabeth Geard-owned gelding sprinted past the leaders as if they were glued to the fence.
Geegees Blackflash went on to score by over four lengths from Western Wager and Life To The Full.
The winner’s trainer John Luttrell said he was extremely confident of the outcome after the horse had pulled up so well from his first-up win in the Newmarket Handicap (1200m) three weeks earlier.
“This horse is such a classy galloper people haven’t seen the best of him,” Luttrell said.
“He’s won here tonight and beaten a top field of probably he best weight-for-age horses in the state.”
“I’m just rapt to have him n my sable and hopefully we can progress to the cups and do the same in those races,” he said.
Luttrell said he will take Geegees Blackflash to trial on the synthetic track (Tapeta) and if he handles the surface then connections will target the Devonport Cup as his next mission, although owner Paul Geard said the AAMI Hobart Cup was the gelding’s main mission this season.