Despite riding a robust speed upfront, Phanta refused to fizzle as the veteran sprinter recorded his second Listed win in two weeks, taking the $125,000 Idyllic Prince Stakes (1300m) at Belmont.
The $2.80 TABtouch favourite erupted from the gates and was two lengths clear of his rivals after just 30m, which ordinarily would deter any challenge to the noted pace-maker.
However, a surprise early shot evolved from Ginger Baker ($13), who whizzed across from the outside to accost Phanta after 300m and took the front-running.
Unwilling to risk any pocket and removing luck from the equation, Shaun McGruddy peeled the market fancy from the leader’s heels and immediately sat to his outside.
The pair sat two lengths clear of any other runner and careened around the home turn without a breath between them. But soon after straightening, McGruddy inched the eight-year-old and soon got the better of the argument to take a length lead passing the 300m.
As he did, Fluro Neuro ($8.50) edged to the extreme outside and began to let down with his run and appeared the chief challenger.
If anything, he increased his lead over the final stages and scored handsomely over Fluro Neuro and Ginger Baker, providing sire Gingerbread Man with an incredible Listed-race trifecta.
The Chris and Michael Gangemi-trained gelding improved his third-placed finish from 2023 and supplemented his Belmont Newmarket triumph a fortnight ago.
“He’s wound back the clock his last couple of starts and been a really good horse to us,” Chris Gangemi said.
“Michael bought him as a tried horse after he’d only had a few starts, and he won a couple of stakes races two years ago.
“Last winter we didn’t really time it right; he was only able to have a couple of runs and he ran a couple of seconds.
“Michael made the decision to give him another 12 months and lucky he did because he’s really wound back the clock.
“That was really impressive today and a great win.”
Gangemi said the success had scuppered their initial plans to race Phanta in next fortnight’s Farnley Stakes as he would now be too highly rated and would instead target a set weights and penalties contest over 1200m in three weeks.
McGruddy said the alarming early charge from Ginger Baker turned out to be a help rather than hindrance. “He settled very good. He did get a head start on them and was almost a bit lost and in a race of his own,” McGruddy said. “I wasn’t surprised when something came to me, but then I thought she might sit off me. “I was wrong. She kept going but I was able to pop off from behind her and it actually really switched him on. “That’s why I cut the ribbons as early as I did, because he was really like a locomotive; he was in top gear and rolling along. “Being weight for age, he had a fair bit of weight on his back but live by the sword, die by the sword, I did go with him. “He was there to be vulnerable late but he was very strong through the line. “It’s quite an effort from the team to be the fittest horse in the race.”