Fantastic Voyage riding the high

Early in his career, it was apparent, Fantastic Voyage (Cool Flying Fun) had some significant ability.

As a two and three year old, he was always incontention in all legs of the Maryland SIres Stakes Program. Even at Four, he won the Maryland Sires Stakes aged pace for Four and Five Year olds in the Maryland Sires Stakes Program.

Thursday night at Rosecroft, Fantastic Voyage won the $14,000 preferred for a second straight week and is developing into a very mature race horse.

So where does the talent come from? His Dad, Cool Flying Fun, a multiple stakes winner in Maryland and Virginia was by Bonnie and Clyde, who was sired by the wicked fast Dragon’s Lair, whose Dad was Tyler B. Bonnie and Clyde’s Mom, Lady Niatrose of course was by Niatross. That’s a star studded harness racing breeding background. If that wasn’t enough, Cool Flying Fun’s Mom, Cool Flying Filly, was a Florida Stakes winner and the third dam on her side, Calba, foaled Pilgrim’s Fiery, who won 106 races lifetime. The latter, winning over half of those races right down the street in Cordova, where Shaun Callahan, Fantastic Voyage’s trainer grew up in the same town as the Milby’s who campaigned Pilgrims Fiery for several seasons.

Cool Flying Fun had his best year at age six, winning 10 times in 42 starts and finishing in the top three 20 times.

Fantastic Voyage has started his six year old season in fine fashion, winning four times now in 12 starts, and finishing in the top three seven times. Thursday night’s win with Jared Moyer driving, was his lifetime best in 1:50.1. In his last eight starts, he’s missed only one check, and has come home no slower than :28.3. Moyer last week pulled a 21-1 upset pouncing from the pocket, this time as the 7-2 third choice, he placed him perfectly second over and he blasted off the banked final turn for a :27.3 kicker to get home first again.

So what happened to all that early speed he had as a kid?

“We figured out he was getting so hot that you couldn’t control him. Drivers were getting to the three quarter mark in 1:21 and saying that was as slow as they could get him to go,” Callahan said.

Last Year, an early leg issue limited him to 24 starts, with Fantastic Voyage winning in 1:51.1 at Rosecroft and finishing in the top three 14 times. The ground work seemingly for 2023’s good start was being laid after he came back strong in the latter half of 2022.

“I took my time bringing him back. He had a leg issue and I gave him six months and we just took our time with him, but he really came back well and raced big after coming back,” Callahan said.

Moyer has been a constant presence aboard Fantastic Voyage this year and Callahan gave him a lot of credit for how he has handled the six year old stallion who pushed his lifetime bankroll over $152,000 with his 20th lifetime win in 82 starts. He has been in the top three in 44 of those.

“Jared has done really well with him. Keeps him calm, and has been putting him in really good spots to give him a chance,” Callahan said.

Dawn Amiss, bred and owns, Fantastic Voyage and at the suggestion of her son Zach, bred her mare Ashante Macho to Callahan’s sire who was standing at his Dad Nick’s farm. Foaling him at age 21, her last foal is maturing into a star in the Mid-Atlantic Harness ranks. She passed away less than a year after Fantastic Voyage was born.

“We weren’t going to pay to have her bred anywhere and Zach suggested we do it and we did. So he deserves a lot of the credit for the idea or he wouldn’t be here,” Callahan said.

Fantastic Voyage has matched last year’s win total (Four) and earnings ($39,000) in half the starts. His dad got 42 starts out his six year old season, if Fantastic Voyage is able to do remotely the same, maybe he can match his Dad’s $155,000 six year old season.

by Pete Medhurst, for Rosecroft Raceway