Leaders Of The Times: October Calendar Feature
Eccentric Valentino
Eccentric Valentino (DA Valentino x Ameila B)
“Eccentric Valentino gives me, in a way, a great responsibility,” says owner Luciana Fasano, of Fazenda Floresta, in São Paulo, Brazil. “That is, to breed good foals. He is a great son of DA Valentino, from a daughter of Magnum Psyche. I see that as a very nice responsibility.” That pedigree is a lot to live up to. DA Valentino, who died prematurely in 2011 at the age of 8, was a six-time national champion, and Eccentric Valentino’s dam, Amelia B, has a national championship and three national reserve championships on her record. “This is a very important thing,” Fasano says, referring to the strong female presence in Eccentric Valentino’s bloodlines. “He has an amazing mother by Magnum. I have seen in Argentina, with my own eyes, what Magnum has done and is still doing with his mares—the sons and daughters he is siring.” 170 | A R A BI A N HOR SE T I MES
That Eccentric Valentino lives up to his potential already has been proven. As a yearling, he was a U.S. National Top Ten; following that with the title of Canadian National Reserve Champion 2-Year-Old Colt and Canadian National Champion Futurity Colt. In 2011, he was named U.S. National Champion Stallion 4-5 Years Old and U.S. National Reserve Champion Senior Stallion. This year, he added the award of Scottsdale Champion Classic Arabian 5-Year-Old Stallion. As a breeding stallion, Eccentric Valentino has had limited exposure to date. He was bred sparingly during the years that his show career was the focus, a situation that is changing as Fasano looks to the contribution he will make to the breed. “Now I have to go to the next step,” she says, “which is to translate what my stallions have shown in the ring, and that is to breed good foals. My responsibility is quality control—not to make sure