Yarradale Stud's senior stallion Gingerbread Man achieved a rare career high for any sire when the son of Shamardal provided the trifecta in Saturday's Listed Idyllic Prince Stakes over 1300m at Belmont Park.
First to greet the judge in impressive style was the Gangemi stable's eight year old Phanta, with Fluro Neuro and Ginger Baker fighting out the placings.
Known as the Goodwood Sprint until 2015, the late winter feature was for many years a Quality Handicap. In 2003 it became a WFA event - partly due to the mighty Northerly having lumped 61kg to victory in 2001 and finishing a close fifth in 2002 under 60kg - against a field of rivals allotted no more than 53.5!
The Victorian handicapper Greg Carpenter, obviously musing on Northerly's plight, initiated the change - the intention was that WA gallopers preparing for eastern Spring assignments could have a lead up run without being flattened.
No such worries for “The Fighting Tiger” though; after that unplaced run he went east and reeled off a string of Group victories culminating in his famous Caulfield Cup / second Cox Plate double!
The race was re-named in 2015 to honour its four-time winner Idyllic Prince. While far below Northerly's stratosphere, he was a champion in his own way and his story is worth retelling, for rare are the horses that achieve such a feat.
As Zipping was to the Sandown Classic and Winx to the Cox Plate, so Idyllic Prince was to the Goodwood Sprint!
A son of the great West Australian import Scenic from the talented Umatilla mare Uma Princess, Idyllic Prince was bred in partnership with Durham (now Scenic) Lodge who stood the mighty son of Sadler's Wells, and owned by his trainer Jim Taylor and the famous Taylor racing family of Bullsbrook.
Like all the best progeny of his sire Idyllic Prince was tough and bold. He had serious hoof problems throughout his career, which underlines his extraordinary achievements even further.
Jim Taylor has saddled up G1 winning speed machines the calibre of Hay List, Barakey and Magnifisio, but said of Idyllic Prince in 2022 “For courage, he was probably the best of them.”
Idyllic Prince bagged his first stakes win in the G3 Asian Beau in his customary racing style, which was to charge home from the tail of the field.
His string of Goodwood Sprint victories began in 2008 when he won first up, and ended in 2011 with his defeat of star galloper Playing God, now WA's leading sire - his final race start.
Despite the Goodwood four-peat, Taylor maintains that Idyllic Prince ran the best race of his career in the 2009 G1 Winterbottom Stakes when second to the world-class mare Ortensia.
The turf warrior retired with 15 wins (9 stakes) and 14 placings from 45 starts and earnings of more than a million, which was a lot more impressive then than it sounds now!
Just for good measure Idyllic Prince still holds the race record, and that wasn't about to change in 2025 after a wet week in Perth.
Back to the present day and this season's Idyllic Prince victor, Phanta.
Another with a well documented history of foot issues, Phanta loves a wet track, and he got his preferred conditions with the track upgraded from Heavy 8 on Friday to Soft 5 on race morning.
A field of ten lined up for the starter and Phanta was a red hot fave with punters after his great return to form last start in taking the Belmont Newmarket for the second time, and a third placing in this race two seasons ago.
Wind And The Lion (Written By), freshened after his HG Bolton Stakes win at Bunbury also had his supporters, while the Williams camp sent out super honest gelding Fluro Neuro (Gingerbread Man) looking to break a string of second placings at his first try at WFA.
The state's leading trainers also saddled up journeyman galloper Makin (Written Tycoon) - an interesting addition to the stable having raced in Sydney, Singapore ( where he was G1 placed), Adelaide, and now Perth!
Dan Morton's hardy veteran Saloon Bar (Sessions) and the talented Zipaway (Playing God) were resuming, with a big push on course for the latter.
Man Crush (Manhattan Rain), Rockin’ Rupert (Winning Rupert), Ginger Baker (Gingerbread Man) and Rokanori (Awesome Rock) were all at double figure odds.
The race was an entertaining spectacle from start to finish. When the gates opened Phanta fairly burst out like a two year old in a Golden Slipper and landed well in front of the field. Ears pricked, the eight year old was bowling along happily for Sean McGruddy in his favoured role, when suddenly another rejuvenated veteran Ginger Baker appeared on the scene!
Ginger and Natasha Faithfull applied some heat and zoomed past Phanta to take the lead. Dropping back from his 2200m South West Cup triumph to 1300m, who knew how this was going to go? Eight year old Ginger was fourth in this race last year coming back from 2000m! These old boys are full of surprises.
Meanwhile Wind And The Lion had taken up a nice position in third with newcomer Makin settled fourth, Zipaway and Fluro Neuro handy enough, Saloon Bar lurking in his usual spot at the rear.
At the top of the straight Phanta went straight back past Ginger and contemptuously kicked clear, but Ginger's ears pinned back. He continued to fight on. Fluro Neuro had got into gear and was finishing on strong with Zipaway.
Wind And The Lion couldn't pick up, Makin was tired. Rank outsider and Gangemi second stringer Rokanori briefly loomed on the outside but all in vain, because Phanta was powering away and was just too good.
Phanta comfortably notched up his fourth stakes win by two and a half lengths on the line.
Fluro Neuro and Ginger Baker duked it out for the minors, with Fluro getting the nod. Second again! It was a top effort from the six year old at his first attempt at WFA racing, and with four stakes placings to his name a black type victory will surely come.
Ginger Baker's performance was remarkable and a credit to his trainers Dan and Ben Pearce. And what a great result for the sire of all three tough and talented geldings, Gingerbread Man!
Bolter Rokanori ran out of his skin to take fourth place.
Phanta advances his career to 9 wins (4 stakes) and 9 placings from only 30 starts for earnings of $651,695.
The talented chestnut and “Shooter” Mc Gruddy returned to the rapturous reception of a big group of owners - probably not long recovered after celebrating their equine hero's second Belmont Newmarket win two weeks ago! No doubt many more toasts to the horse and his talented trainers - who have carefully managed Phanta's bad feet - will be poured.
“He really has wound back the clock, and he was very impressive today” said a proud Chris Gangemi.
“ Shooter rode him a treat. He was just too tough for them.”
With the quality sprinter back in top form, Gangemi was asked about future targets and acknowledged that Phanta might be weighted out of the Farnley Stakes in two weeks time.
The trainer has floated the idea of taking his horse to Kalgoorlie for the inaugural running of the $1M Golden Saddle, Western Australia's newest slot race and richest regional race - a 1200m WFA sprint to be held on Kalgoorlie Cup day on October 4th.
“We will weigh up whether he goes to the Farnley with big weight, or we freshen him up” he said.
“ Kalgoorlie is not ideal either because the track can get firm, but if he can do all his work down here (Perth) on soft tracks he may go after the Golden Saddle.”
Phanta was a $5,000 yearling when purchased by Justin Warwick at the 2019 Perth Magic Millions Book 2 from the draft of Scenic Lodge.
He raced a handful of times and won for Justin before being sold to clients of the Gangemi stable.
Phanta is one of only three foals from the unraced Dubai Destination mare Dubi Dubi Do, all of whom raced.
Phanta's full sister Ginger Flyer was also a talent over many seasons, winning eight races and $349,245.
Their dam Just Friends by speed sire Snaadee was bred by Emirates Park in Victoria and her three to race were all winners. Just Friends was bred 3m x 4f to Canadian Blue Hen Ciboulette through her daughters the three quarter sisters Fanfreluche and Somfas.
Phanta's third dam was the very good filly Not Related. This daughter of Family Ties won the G1 VRC Sires Produce Stakes and three G3 races, and was a 12 times winner in all. She was the only stakes winner from her dam Kisaki by Mikado, a son of the great speed sire Matrice.
Not Related's unraced half sister Toneya (Blazing Saddles) produced stakes placed Ashenti who became dam of the durable G2 winning sprinter Riva De Lago.
Phanta is bred to
Mr Prospector 5m x 4m
His sire Gingerbread Man by the mighty Shamardal was Champion 2YO and 3YO in Singapore where he won five Group races as a sprinter miler.
Gingerbread Man's third dam Spyglass was a G1 winner at two miles in NZ. She became dam of the well named G1 Epsom Hcp winner Iron Horse who placed in that race twice, as well as placing in a Doncaster and Caulfield Cup! - and half brother Specular who became a champion jumper.
Over this stout Kiwi damline Gingerbread Man carries the speed of Snippets and Hurricane Sky with the pure class of Shamardal.
Notably Gingerbread Man descends from Miss Diable who was bred 3f x 3m to one of NZ's all time great broodmare sires Beau Pere, a son of the matriarch Cinna - while Beau Pere's half brother Balloch sired Phanta's ancestress Kitty Balloch.
Phanta's damsire Dubai Destination by Kingmambo far exceeded his prowess as a good sire by becoming a really excellent broodmare sire of the likes of G1 winners Thunder Snow, Golden Horn, Postponed, Melbourne Cup hero Gold Trip and Silent Sedition to name just a handful.
Gingerbread Man is one of WA's best value sires, consistently getting horses with talent and longevity.
They can be precocious types - like Ima Single Man who won the 2020 Karrakatta Plate and went on to a successful career in Hong Kong.
But they are noted for their ability to front up season after season. The stallion's leading earner Red Can Man banked more than $1.5 million and went out on a winning high at seven.
Phanta, Fluro Neuro and Ginger Baker epitomize the breed's honesty and will to win.
Chilli Is Hot was a $500 weanling and won the Belmont Oaks! Achernar Star won more than a million and was a G1 performer in both Melbourne and Perth.
Gingerbread Man stands at Yarradale Stud on a fee of $5,500 in 2025.
