As far as Anthony Fanticola is concerned, age is just simply a number.
At least that's the way it seems to be in his racing stable as the stars he's owned have a tendency to age like fine wine.
That is the case for Motorious, who did not compete in his first stakes race until he was 5. Now, at 7, the Muhaarar gelding has the honor of being the 7-2 morning-line favorite in a matchup against the fastest horses in the world Nov. 1: the $1 million Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T).
"The thrill of winning is something else to behold," the 83-year-old Fanticola said. "It keeps you young."
Winning certainly seems to be keeping Motorious young as he is in the best form of his career. In his last five starts, he's rallied off four graded triumphs with the lone blemish being a neck defeat to Starlust in last year's Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint.
"He's gotten better. He's gotten a little older, but so have I," Fanticola said. "I think Motorious has gotten more seasoned. (Trainer) Phil D'Amato has done a great job with him."
A former vice president for Kroger and a Jiffy Lube franchisee for the last 35 years, Fanticola's entry into Thoroughbred racing over two decades came from a desire to own a sports team.
"I didn't have $2 or $3 billion laying around, so I got a few horses," Fanticola said.
Those few horses were owned in partnership with his close friend, Joe Scardino, who died in 2018 at 86.
"I wish he was still here to enjoy this," Fanticola said. "But it was a good run that we had. Joe was a seasoned veteran with racing. I'm not that good, so I surround myself with people who are much better than I am with the racing."
Some of those people include Craig Rounsefell of Boomer Bloodstock, who selected Motorious for $317,956 at the 2021 Tattersalls Autumn Horses-in-Training Sale, and trainer D'Amato.
D'Amato was a longtime assistant for prominent Southern California trainer Mike Mitchell. Mitchell trained several years for Fanticola and Scardino until he passed the operation to D'Amato in 2014 as his health deteriorated. He died in 2015.
D'Amato was cut from the same cloth, and the pair did not have any ideas of making a change.
"Phil was a great student of Mike Mitchell's," Fanticola said. "I think Phil is probably one of the most knowledgeable, experienced, honest, and upfront trainers there is on the track. He gives you a straight answer, whether you like it or not."
That skill set of D'Amato's mixed with the patience of an owner like Fanticola, who lets his trainer take the reins on most decisions, have led to Motorious' prolonged success.
"My horses, I like to run them where they like to run," Fanticola said. "Motorious loves Del Mar, so I want him to run at Del Mar as much as possible. We treat our horses well, we don't race them every four, six, eight weeks. We race them when they're ready. I leave that to Phil D'Amato to make that call."
However, this is no flash in the pan, but rather a proven formula. On Saturday, Motorious will join a short list of horses to have run three times in the World Championships, yet still needs two more to break his own barn's record.
That title belongs to Obviously, who Fanticola and Scardino campaigned for five Breeders' Cup appearances. Racing in the Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T) from 2012-15, he finally broke through in the 2016 Turf Sprint at age 8 at Santa Anita Park.
"Winning a Breeders' Cup is just a thrill. They come from all over the world for that," Fanticola said. "To finally win one, he deserved one. We loved him, he was just exciting. He had a whole fan gathering every time he ran."
The two horses could not be more different in terms of running style. Obviously was quick out of the gate, and carried that speed through the wire. Motorious, on the other hand, is one that can be counted on to be giving his best late, launching exciting stretch drives to run down his competition.
"(Motorious) is a good finisher," Fanticola said. "It's a matter of whether he gets a clean ride and a good position so he can make his run."
Both running styles are equally thrilling to Fanticola as long as it ends with a trip to the winner's circle. It's quality over quantity as he typically only keeps a small number of horses—Motorious currently being one of only two he owns fully while holding shares in a handful of others with partners.
Yet, thanks to his two hard-knocking geldings, Fanticola has participated in seven of the last 13 Breeders' Cups. He also co-owned Tony Ann, who ran with Motorious in the 2023 Turf Sprint.
Motorious will not be the only horse in Saturday's Breeders' Cup with a connection to Fanticola. If you look closely at the pedigrees, you'll spot the name Fanticola as the dam of Mile entrant Formidable Man. The name is not a coincidence as she was campaigned through her 24-race career by Fanticola and Scardino.
Fanticola, the person, had originally wanted to name the filly after Scardino. However, they discovered that the name was already taken.
"I said, 'Joe, who took your name? You better go find out,'" Fanticola told his friend. Scardino then suggested they instead named her Fanticola.
On debut, the Silent Name filly finished second to future Hall of Famer and three-time Breeders' Cup winner Beholder. She went on to win the 2015 Royal Heroine Stakes (G2T) among two stakes triumphs and placed in an additional four graded stakes, including a runner-up finish in the 2015 Gamely Stakes (G1T), while earning $561,986.
Formidable Man, a son of City of Light trained by Michael McCarthy for William Warren Jr. and Suzanne Warren, has followed in his dam's footsteps by taking a liking to the turf, winning two grade 1s among five graded triumphs.
"She had heart. That was a good mare," Fanticola said. "That's a cool thing to have one of her sons in there. I'll be rooting for him."
But the first order of business Saturday remains focused on Motorious breaking through for his long-awaited Breeders' Cup win.
"I've got one Breeders' Cup under my belt," Fanticola said. "I'd like to get one more."
