In Brief
- Overdue win for well-related gelding.
- Gee Gee Flash Too almost died as a youngster.
- Sky could still be the limit for Gee Gee Blackflash's brother.
A full brother to one of Tasmania’s greatest gallopers GeeGees Blackflash celebrated his first win in Launceston on Saturday night but Gee Gee Flash Too’s journey to the victory dais hasn’t been smooth.
When trainer Stuart Gandy first laid eyes on Gee Gee Flash Too he was a scrawny new-born foal at Paul and Elizabeth Geard’s GG Horse Stud at Broadmarsh, but as a full brother to a champion, the expectations were always going to be high.
As the colt grew, so did Gandy’s expectations, but not long after the horse’s first birthday the colt suffered a gut infection that led to a dose of the scours that lasted four months.
“The aftermath of the gut infection almost took his life but he kept eating and eventually he overcame the issue,” Gandy said.
“There were other legacies from that but like GeeGees Blackflash, he fought back and shrugged off the illness and got on with learning how to become a racehorse.
Gandy knew he had something special, but he played his inner feelings down and went about treating the youngster like every other horse on the farm.
“People don’t know the dramas this horse went through early in his life but he got on with things just like his older brother (Geegees Blackflash) and now I’m sure we can look forward to him developing into the best he can be,” Gandy said.
“His mum (La Quita) is an amazing broodmare because every foal she has produced has won and that’s an amazing record given she’d had a lot of foals.
“We are still learning what makes this horse tick and that’s why we made a couple of gear changes and altered his work program leading up to this race.
“He’s probably got the weight of the world on his shoulders because of who he is related to, but he’s heading in the right direction and I’m confident that with time and maturity he will develop into a very nice horse.”
With a set of winkers to allow him to show more zip early and land in the front half of the field, jockey Stan Tsaikos was able to have him poised to pounce when the field neared the home turn.
The gelded son of Clangalang hit the front at the top of the home straight and had enough in reserve to stave off a late challenge from the John Blacker-trainer mare Margarita Talking ($7.00).
Gandy said Gee Gee Flash Too has been in work for a while and might need a week in the spelling paddock to freshen-up.
Watch Gee Gee Flash Too score an impressive maiden win in Launceston on Saturday night.