The International Racehorse Owners Network (IRON), headed by Muskoka Farm owner David Boehm, had its first big payday when the I Am Invincible filly Cythera made a winning career debut in Saturday's Listed Darley Lonhro Plate at Randwick.
Ridden by Tommy Berry for Peter and Paul Snowden, Cythera held the brave Overshare filly Lady Laguna by a long head with a further one and a quarter lengths back to the Exosphere colt Spacewalk in third.
Cythera was a $420,000 purchase by IRON / George Moore Bloodstock from the Highgrove Stud draft at the 2021 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
She is one of the seven IRON purchases at the sale that came at a total spend of $2,785,000.
"We were pretty confident she could run well," Paul Snowden said.
"It’s her first time at the races and things can go wrong and she did a lot wrong to tell you the truth.
“I was glad when Hughie (Bowman on Spacewalk) kicked up and gave us something to chase because she is still very new, and you saw her idle down late when she did hit the front.
She’s got the grouse attitude and obviously plenty of class so that will take us a long way.
“She has still got a lot more to offer, this filly.
“You’ve just got to let her tell the story. There is still a bit of water to go under the bridge.
“ I’m just ecstatic for the owners, Iron. It’s their first runner for us and it’s a winner, so they’ve got a very handy filly on their hands.”
Tommy Berry said the daughter of I Am Invincible has more to offer.
“She is a lovely filly. I really liked her off her trial, Berry said
“It was a very good effort for her to come here off just one trial. Usually, Peter gives them a couple.
“She hasn’t been the one from day dot that jumped out of the ground and said this is going to be the best two-year-old, but she has been the horse that has kept improving. There is a lot of substance about her, she’s a lovely type, nice size.”
A half-sister to Widden Stud’s Group II Australia Stakes winner and Group 1 William Reid Stakes runner-up Thronum (Snitzel), Cythera is the sixth winner from as many to race out of the imported mare Helena's Secret (USA) (Five Star Day).
Cythera’s promising 3yo half-brother Verne has not been seen in public since defeating the Group 1 Golden Rose winner In The Congo at Randwick last June.
Helena’s Secret (USA) was a $200,000 Keeneland purchase by Vin Cox, on behalf of Ron Gilbert's Highgrove Stud.
She is a half-sister to stakes-winner Tears I Cry (USA) (Chester House) out of the Danzig mare Mount Helena, a half-sister to champion Street Cry (Machiavellian) out of the Irish Oaks winner Helen Street (Troy).
Helena’s Secret (USA) died in 2020, and Cythere is her final foal.
Cythera becomes the 75th stakes winner for Yarraman Park Stud’s I Am Invincible, who may be on an unstoppable roll to his first champion sires title.
