Yarradale Stud sire Gingerbread Man doesn’t do things by halves and that was evident when he completed a double and a quinella with his time-tested gallopers Phanta and Fluro Neuro in the LR Belmont Newmarket (1200m) at Pinjarra on Saturday.

It followed a Belmont quinella on Wednesday when his 5yo gelding Hit The Jackpot defeated his 7yo gelding Ain’t No Other Man in the Schweppes Hcp (1000m).

Phanta (8g Gingerbread Man – Dubi Dubi Do by Dubai Destination) had won the 2023 Belmont Newmarket sitting on the pace for Brad Parnham and they adopted similar tactics again yesterday.  The Gangemi Thoroughbreds veteran matched strides with fellow front-runner Puli (Dick Turpin) and then accelerated to a winning lead before Fluro Neuro closed late to trim the margin to a half-length.

“He’s been a champion for us and we’re really proud of him,” co-trainer Chris Gangemi said after his charge made it 6 wins in 12 starts on soft surfaces.  “He carried 59kg and sat outside the leader before fighting back superbly.”

Phanta was bred by Scenic Lodge and was purchased as a tried horse for $80,000.  That’s been repaid many times over with current earnings of $583,000 topped up with Westspeed Platinum Bonuses of $46,800.

Fluro Neuro (6g Gingerbread Man – First Game By Soldier’s Tale) was far from disgraced when he continued a remarkable record this prep with 3 wins and 4 seconds in his last 7 starts.  And exciting Yarradale graduate Stormchaser (Impending) completed a great day at the office for the team when he filled out the Newmarket trifecta!

“I was happy to keep the pressure on early,” Parnham reported.  “I just let him roll along.  He gave a good kick and was just too strong for them.”

Phanta also won black-type in the LR Bolton Sprint (1200m) at Belmont and that race also featured in the CV of Gingerbread Man’s all-time leading earner Red Can Man.  Age was no barrier to the Steve Wolfe-trained stable star and he had banked $1.55 million after winning for the final time as a 7yo in the LR Crawford Stakes (1000m) at Ascot in 2023.

Phanta’s older full-sister Ginger Flyer was another resilient evergreen bowing out as a 7yo mare for Vicki Cayley in the LR Farnley Quality (1400m) won by Searchin’ Roc’s in 2023.  She banked $350,000 with a career-high win in the $100,000 Blue Spec Stakes (1600m) of 2022.

Gingerbread Man can also sire a precocious youngster like Ima Single Man who won the G2 Karrakatta Plate (1200m) in April 2020.  After saluting in Perth’s premier 2yo event for Gangemi Racing, he was sold to Hong Kong and went on to win 5 races and the equivalent of AUD 2.27 million for trainer Tony Cruz and owner Fion Luk Sin Fong.

Gingerbread Man (Shamardal) and Shooting To Win (Northern Meteor) will both stand for a fee of $5,500 (inc GST) at Yarradale Stud this season.   For all enquiries contact Davy Hanratty (0429 336 904).