Jeff Geall may have the ranked outside in tonight’s RSN Sandown Cup, but that hasn’t dampened his spirits.
As the great man Gerry O’Keeffe once said to Jeff, ‘young man, I won the Sandown Cup with Bells are Ringin at 50/1 – anything can happen’.
If you know Gerry, you read that quote in Gerry’s voice.
Zipping Clifford is that ranked outsider in the Group 1 feature at $34. He is jumping from box three and is a bit of a dag, according to Jeff.
Jeff doesn’t just represent all the long shots out there in tonight’s RSN Sandown Cup. He represents those who are just starting out in the sport of greyhound racing or are wanting to do so because he has been training for just over a year.
“I recently took a redundancy package from work which I wouldn’t have been able to take if I didn’t have the greyhounds,” Jeff Geall told RSN’s Gareth Hall.
Jeff worked in the disability sector for the past 15 years and strongly believes that greyhound racing and greyhounds as a breed are an amazing tonic for people with disabilities or with mental health problems.
“It’s one of the best man – animal sports in the world and I would highly recommend to anyone to get in contact with a greyhound trainer and see how to get involved as an owner, or even working in the kennels.”
“I have been fortunate to work alongside my brother Dave (Geall), who has experienced the pressure of Group 1 racing recently with Up Hill Jill and My Redeemer,” Jeff said.
“He is a role model and a big part of the reason I have the confidence to train greyhounds myself.”
Jeff Geall joined RSN Central’s Gareth Hall yesterday to discuss his journey and his chances in tonight’s RSN Sandown Cup. Take a listen. It’s worth the time and guaranteed to put a smile on your face.
And how does Jeff think he will go in the RSN Sandown Cup tonight. Apart from being a fairy tale if Zipping Clifford claims the Group 1, he believes that anything is possible.
“It’s going to be hard – very hard but if he could lead, I would love to see what his run home time would be.”