Heathcote banking on Amuseantes’ family class

By Glenn Davis

If it wasn’t for her famed pedigree, Amuseantes may not have been given the opportunity to follow a family tradition on the racetrack.

Amuseantes is prepared by Eagle Farm trainer Robert Heathcote and has been sidelined by injury at various points during her career.

“We spent a lot of money on her treatment," Heathcote said. 

Amuseantes spent more than a month recovering at the Gatton veterinary clinic and vindicated Heathcote and her owners’ decision to spend more than $30,000 on bills when she won against her own age group as a three-year-old at Eagle Farm in June of last year.

Fast forward to now and Amuseantes will line up for her 14th start when the five-year-old steps out in the Class 3 Handicap over 1200 metres at Doomben on Wednesday.

Amuseantes, a Taylor Marshall mount, hasn’t raced since finishing second last in a 1600 metre Benchmark race at Eagle Farm in the middle of April.

“Not too many Class 2 horses have won more than $185,000 in prizemoney and this looks a nice race for her,” Heathcote said.

“But, she’s one of those horses that needs a lot of luck in her races as she gets back, much like her half-sister Startantes did.

“She’s a vastly talented mare who will need a gun ride, but Taylor (Marshall) has ridden her in her two trials and he’s confident she’ll run well.”

Amuseantes is a daughter of the Heathcote-trained Funtantes, while her half-sister Startantes won the Group 1 Tatt’s Tiara in 2022.

Her granddam Cantantes only had moderate success on the racetrack, winning two of her 37 starts, but she proved a star in the breeding barn.

She became one of Queensland’s best broodmares over the past two decades before she passed away in 2018.

Heathcote, a five-time Brisbane premiership-winning trainer, has trained just about all of Cantantes’ offspring, including Funtantes, Excellantes and Guntantes, as well as several others.

Funtantes also proved to be a success at stud as well as on the racetrack after producing several winners herself, including Startantes, Ziemba and now Amuseantes.

Funtantes won 10 times during her career, earning more than $704,000 in prizemoney, with her best wins coming in the Group 2 Champagne Classic at Doomben in 2009, the Listed Nudgee Handicap and the Listed Juanmo Stakes.

“It’s a sensational family which has produced more than 40 metropolitan winners,” Heathcote said.

“Ultimately, we’d like to win some black-type with Amuseantes.”