Three Chimneys Farm announced today that Grade 1 winner Funtastic, raced by the Torrealba family, will take up stud duty at Three Chimneys for the 2019 breeding season.
“We have enjoyed immeasurable success from the family of Horses of the Year Gun Runner and Saint Liam,” said Three Chimneys Chairman, Goncalo Torrealba. “Gun Runner took us on the ride of our lives. I have long believed in the importance of foundational female families as a cornerstone for long term success in the breeding business. The racing dynasties of the past were all built upon these rock solid foundational families. In the case of Funtastic, it was the Evans family who devoted limitless passion and capital which resulted in a family that stands to reshape the breed for years to come. At the end of the day, it’s about breeding Saturday afternoon racehorses. I am in awe of the genetic dominance represented by Funtastic’s family,” added Mr. Torrealba. “If you consider that Horse of the Year Saint Liam, sired Horse of the Year Havre de Grace, one of only a handful of mares to earn that title, in his only crop, there is clearly a concentration of dominant traits that pervades multiple generations of this important pedigree.”
By Champion Sire More than Ready, who has sired over 100 Stakes Winners, Funtastic was on the board 7 times in 11 starts, including a Grade 1 victory in the United Nations at Monmouth Park, against a packed field that included Grade 1 winners Bigger Picture, Silverwave (FR), multiple Graded Stakes winner Oscar Nominated, and Graded Stakes winner Money Multiplier. Turning for home, Funtastic made a bold move, quickening in :22 and change from the mile mark to the mile and a quarter pole, stopping the clock in 1:59 and change for the 10 panels.
Funtastic is out of Quiet Dance, who is the dam of Horse of the Year Saint Liam and is a half sister to the dam of Horse of the Year Gun Runner. He retires with earnings $410,711.
Chris Baker, Chief Operating Officer at Three Chimneys, who formerly worked for Ned Evans, who developed Horse of the Year Saint Liam’s family said, “Ned Evans was an artist at breeding Grade 1 winners and developing female families. This family was his masterpiece. Funtastic will get our full support as Three Chimneys looks to extend this legacy through his offspring. We encourage Breeders to come see him.”
Funtastic will stand for a fee of $7,500 LFSN.
Board Member Doug Cauthen added, “Funtastic is bred very similarly to Saint Liam, being by More than Ready. When you look at him physically, he looks more like a sprinter/miler than a horse that can get a Classic distance. When a breeder looks at the complete picture before them, I believe they will see good value in a horse like him at $7,500.”
