Fantistique Result for Breeding Buffs...

Breeding pundits just love seeing close relatives shine at the top level. It somehow sends a message that, yes, you can believe in nicks. It reassures us all that there is a pattern, at least on occasions anyway, that is greater than random chance.

Enter Padfoot Charlie and his Group One winning full-brother Final Fantasy.

In the space of eight days these two knockabout geldings, by former Canterbury Stakes winner Chimes Square from the rapidly emerging broodmare Fantistique, both scored Black Type wins.

Final Fantasy swept between runners to win the Epsom Handicap in September drawing away from Kingsgate and taking his earnings to $798,820. The effort earned him a trip to Melbourne for the Spring Carnival. Padfoot Charlie, who actually could be a little better than his year older brother, was having his 18th start when a most impressive come-from-behind winner of the Listed Canberra Cup. That win, his fifth, took his earnings to $254,085.

So who is this Fantastique, the mother of the moment?

She was a talented but luckless racemare who started just twice, running third both times, once at Warwick Farm.

A vet discovered she had a hole in a sesamoid and immediately told connections, which at the time were Ray Stehr Pastoral syndicate, to retire her. "Don't race her again," he commanded, "otherwise she will break down so badly she'll need to be put down." So the syndicate sold out to Malcolm Chung, an owner who raced horses with Warwick Farm based boutique trainer Bruce Cross. And Chung bred with her.

His patience needs to be applauded as her first foal by nondescript stallion A Gift, ran in two races and two barrier trials. On all four occasions he failed to beat a runner home. Noble Presence was the next galloper from the mare. He too was by A Gift and won just the once at Kembla from 29 starts. Like the other fellow, there were quite a few last placings in those 29 starts.A change of stallion for the Twig Moss mare produced Final Fantasy and he showed promise right from the word go.

Padfoot Charlie followed and both have shown that with maturity they get better.

Subsequently Chung and Cross are quite excited about the next in the family, a 4-year-old mare named Dawnfire by Integra. "She is a very handy little stayer in the making," said Cross who noted that her eighth start was an impressive Kembla win (her second) and her ninth run, her last before spelling, was a third over 2,400 metres at Warwick Farm.
"She'll get further than the other two," added Cross who sees a good future both on the track and in the barn with her.

The next race from Fantistique will be Rouge Homme (named after a red wine but the literal French meaning is Red Man), a handsome chestnut son of boom stallion Strategic. He's a 2-year-old and should show to advantage in the near future.
There is also a filly foal on the ground by Sri Pekan and Chung is undecided who to send her to this season.

He has been inundated with offers as you can well imagine.

Old Chimes Square (by Red Tony) is now 20, and he served just the one mare last year. Philipa Morgan at Harwicke Stud in Yass says he's vastly under-rated. Perhaps a return to him may be on the cards for Fantistique