Breeding: SIRE: Light Of Fire DAM: Jindara Bale
Whelped: 24/02/1988
Trainer: Graeme Bate
Owners : Paul Wheeler
Career Race Record: 77 starts, 44 wins, 15 placings
Career Prizemoney: $357,850
NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS:
Winner 1999 Group 1 Melbourne Cup
Winner 1999 Group 1 Silver Chief
Winner 2000 Group 1 Brisbane Cup
Winner 2000, 2002 Group 2 Warrnambool Cup
Winner 2000 Group 3 Horsham Cup
Winner 2000 Group 3 Shepparton Cup
Of all the champions to have graced Graeme Bate’s kennel, one stands out above the rest – Kantarn Bale. So highly does Bate regard Kantarn Bale, that he has no hesitation in comparing the son of Light of Fire and Jindara Bale to Australia’s greatest ever thoroughbred, the mighty Phar Lap. “Phar Lap had a big heart and I believe what set Kantarn Bale apart was that he was all heart. He had a hell of a big chest, a really deep chest, and his big heart shone through in the way he raced. He’d go left or right as if he had a jockey on his back. He was the superstar of his time.” Bate remembers the day in 1999 when Kantarn Bale first arrived at his property as a 17 month old “pre-trainer”, and recalls him being a stand out from day one.
“I have a system with NSW breeder Paul Wheeler which involves him sending about a dozen pre-trainers to me every few months. [Pre-trainers are young dogs that have been broken-in and are usually about 6-8 weeks away from their first race start.] “I remember when Kantarn Bale first arrived he was big and leggy. He really stood out as a looker, but just because a dog looks good doesn’t mean it can run. But right from his first ever trial [at Geelong] I realised the incredible tenacity that Kantarn Bale had”, Bate said.