Cockeyed Bob had Perth racegoers in a spin when he scored a stunning win in the Westspeed 3YO Handicap (1000m) at Belmont yesterday.

Sent out at $6, the gelded son of Zenstov Street produced an incredible finish – the final 600 metres of the race in a sizzling 33.84 seconds.

A half brother to the star filly For Your Eyes Only, Cockeyed Bob came to the races with a reputation. He left with a boom.

“It’s very exciting,” trainer Darryn Pateman said while admitting he came to the races more hopeful than expectant.

“You get a bit worried when they trial and you bring them to the races.”

“There was a lot of hype on him and everyone that’s ridden him and everyone’s that worked him has been telling me how good he was.”

“But until they come to the races and do it on the track – that is when I start to get a bit excited.”

“It takes a bit to get me excited.”

The only little concern for connections was when their debutant was a little sluggish out the barriers – but really there were no concerns.

“He got a little bit lost,” Pateman said. “He didn’t jump as well as he had in the trials.”

Pateman said the gelding would almost certainly now be given a freshen up with feature races in store later in the year.

“Onwards and upwards hopefully.”

“We’ll look at races like the Placid Ark and the Lee Steere (Classic) – so we might have to give him a freshen up and look at something like that.”

The gelding could shape up as one of the great bargain buys of modern times – plucked from the Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale for just $5,500.

Pateman liked the look of the Zenstov Street youngster and was delighted to be able to snare him from the draft of Rangeview Stud.

“Rob Gray told me at the time – you stole that bugger. It’s good when you get under someone’s guard.”

“It’s all good for the future for the mare anyway.”

Winning rider, talented apprentice Ben Kennedy, is excited about the future for Cockeyed Bob.

“I’d done most of the track work on him leading up to his race,” Kennedy said. “The first time I ever let him down he went like a machine.”

“He travelled nice in the race yesterday but was still quite green.”

“Once I asked him to go he down like a rocket,” the 17-year-old added.

At the post Cockeyed Bob ($6) held a length and a quarter margin over the runner-up Carbine Street ($4 eq fav), while Flying Heritage ($8.50) was another two and a half lengths back in third place.

Since the purchase of Cockeyed Bob his pedigree has strengthened incredibly throught the exploits of his outstanding half sister For Your Eyes Only.

That daughter of Bletchley Park has earned $546,975 from 10 wins including three at stakes level and also the Magic Millions Perth 3YO  Trophy.

The latest yearling from their dam, the top producer Communique, a colt by Natural Blitz, is being prepared by the Rangeview Stud team for February’s Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale.

Communique was a handy racemare in her own right. The daughter of Key Business won four races, including three on Perth tracks. She is also a half sister to the former quality galloper Dead Eye Dick.