The accolades have continued for David and Rose Geall, with the two-time Melbourne Cup-winning husband-and-wife team receiving the GRV Board Leadership Award at the 2023 Victorian Greyhound Awards.
The Gealls, who are based at Lara, have displayed continued excellence in breeding and training of greyhounds over the last decade, while proving to be generous role models and invaluable in promoting the sport.
Their racetrack success in recent years has been well-documented.
Most notably, they’ve won the Melbourne Cup on two occasions with My Redeemer (2018) and Koblenz (2021), which were both also bred by the Gealls.
In 2022, they came within a half-length of celebrating a third Melbourne Cup triumph in five years when Fernando Mick was edged out by Yachi Bale.
Remarkably, Fernando Mick went on to claim a breakthrough Group 1 success in the Hobart Thousand at his 92nd start and then even more incredibly added a second Group 1 title at start 101 in one of the great races on the calendar, the Australian Cup.
The Gealls expertise in longevity with their star greyhounds was also exemplified in the just-completed racing season by their country cups ‘king’ Ferdinand Boy, which notched up an amazing 52 wins from 106 starts – a 49 per cent strike rate – before retiring in May.
In addition to Fernando Mick’s late-career heroics, David Geall won the 2022 G2 McKenna Memorial with another veteran campaigner in the well-travelled Stout Monelli.
The Gealls also bred 2023 G2 Horsham Cup winner Jungle Panther, which is trained by David’s brother Jeff, further promoting the family aspect so prevalent in many greyhound racing operations.
The majority of the Gealls’ feature race success stories have been even more satisfying, with My Redeemer, his multiple Group 1-winning half-sister Up Hill Jill, Koblenz, and Ferdinand Boy all homegrown products.
In addition to her 38 wins, highlighted by the Topgun and Golden Easter Egg, Up Hill Jill has bucked the trend of champion females not being great producers, as the mother of Koblenz, Hill Top Jack, Jungle Panther, and Hill Top Jonah, among others.
This continued success at the highest levels with their own breeding line highlights the Gealls’ leadership and example in breeding, rearing and education of greyhounds in Victoria.
David, who was recognized as Greyhound Clubs Australia’s (GCA) Australian Trainer of the Year in 2021/22, serves as a mentor to young trainers and has provided encouragement and opportunities to newcomers to the sport.
Rose is a shining example of the integral role females play in any greyhound racing operation; the Gealls are a partnership in every sense of the word.
While success has placed increasing demands on David from the media, he is always extremely generous with his time in promoting greyhound racing and feature events in a positive manner and has proven to be a wonderful ambassador for the sport.
