Absolutely fabulous future ahead for star galloper

By Brodie Nickson

Almost four years after Startantes charged home to win the Group 1 Tatts Tiara at Eagle Farm, her younger siblings continue to fly the pink and black flag throughout South-East Queensland.

Startantes’ younger brother, Fabulantes, added another feature win to their imposing family record when dominating the $500,000 QTIS Jewel 3YO at the Gold Coast in February.

The three-year-old gelding emulated Startantes’ synonymous late strength, settling last of the 16-horse field and rocketing home to win by more than a length.

Trainer Robert Heathcote described the gelding’s rise as quite extraordinary after the QTIS Jewel.

Fabulantes has now won five of 13 career starts and pocketed more than $560,000 in prize money for connections, however, the record doesn’t show his rapid progression throughout his three-year-old season.

Fabulantes did show above average ability as a two-year-old when justifying heavy support to win on debut at Ipswich.

So impressive was the performance, Heathcote wasted no time throwing Fabulantes in the deep end during the 2025 winter carnival.

He finished third behind brilliant winner Beadman in the Group 3 Ken Russell on the Gold Coast at his very next start, albeit beaten 10.1 lengths, before he was beaten 2.22 lengths in the Listed Oxlade Stakes at Eagle Farm on June 28.

Although no one could have guessed how brilliant the formlines would become, Fabulantes could now be forgiven for the 7.74 length margin he finished behind Autumn Boy and Sheza Alibi in the Listed Tatts Stakes.

After leading all-the-way on debut, the stable understandably preferenced riding the colt on speed.

However, after fading late when leading first-up against the older horses, the stable made the decision to ride the gelding cold.

“We would draw a good alley and we’d ride him too close to the speed and it was only these last four runs or so that being a full-brother to Startantes, who did win a Group 1 coming from last at Eagle Farm, we thought ‘well why don’t we try riding this horse that same way’,” Heathcote told Sky Sports Radio.

“His last three runs he’s been dominant giving them big starts and running them down.”

Foreman Oliver Clark-Peoples has been alongside Fabulantes for each step of his journey and said a host of slight adjustments helped unlock the three-year-old’s best.

“We always knew he has ability and was late cut (gelded) because he was Group-placed as a two-year-old colt,” Clark-Peoples said.

“So obviously when he had form like that as a colt we wanted to see if we could stop him from being gelded, but after he came in from that spell he became quite lazy and decided to not put in.

“He had two trials and we weren’t happy with him, so [we] gelded him and brought him back for a third trial and he showed a bit more zip.”

Clark-Peoples especially gave credit to experienced jockey Daniel Moor who put a lot of work into him.

Clark-Peoples also recited the conversation he had with Heathcote about stripping everything back and returning to the family basics.

“Because of the way he won on debut at Ipswich, how he won facing the breeze it was a big, tough run, we thought he might be an on-pacer and we obviously rode him like that,” Clark-Peoples said.

“We were obviously making the use of low gates because of the way he won on debut.”

The stable first decided to ride him quiet in a small four-horse field at the Sunshine Coast where he settled at the back of the field and rounded up his opposition comfortably.

“[The family] are all blinkers and get back horses,” Clark-Peoples said.

It was this family knowledge of the blood coursing through Fabulantes’ veins that has brought so much success to Heathcote’s barn.

Heathcote bought retired broodmare Cantantes in the early 2000s and described her as the ‘goose that laid the golden egg and just keeps, keeps producing’.

Cantantes went on to foal Funtantes, the dam of Startantes and Fabulantes, to name a few.

“[Cantantes] was just a cheapie, she wasn’t much chop,” Heathcote told Sky Sports Radio.

“She was by Just Awesome from memory, and Just Awesome was really good for me in my formulative two years as a trainer.

“I had a bit of success and Jamie had the two runs. She was pigeon toed, suffered a leg injury and I knew nothing about racing and breeding.

“A good friend of mine at the time and client, Wayne Perches, who unfortunately is no longer with us, was into breeding and that was my foray into breeding.

“Then we started breeding and, you know, we pretty much had success from the word go.

“She kept throwing winners, one of which was Funtantes, and the lineage just continues on.”

Funtantes won 10 races and has produced six foals to race, all winners, for 31 victories and counting.

Fabulantes and Amuseantes are both still racing and about to be joined at the races by their latest sibling, Pierantes (by Pierata).

Although admitting it wasn’t a likely proposition only a few months ago, Heathcote and his right-hand man, Clark-Peoples, will kick start Fabulantes' winter carnival in tomorrow’s QTIS 3YO Plate at Doomben,

The lure of a golden ticket into the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap may also entice the stable to look at the Group 3 Fred Best on May 30.

“The best thing about [Fabulantes] is that he’s actually a very easy horse to have in the stable and train,” Clark-Peoples said.

“He smashes his feed tin - he is a proper guts - holds condition so well and has such a lovely temperament nothing phases him.

“He is one of those horses you can keep up for a while and never seems to lose condition."