Godolphin don’t have many horses by champion sire I Am Invincible in their powerful stable, but a filly they bought for $900,000 from Magic Millions last year has emerged as one of the best sprinting three year-olds in the country with a dominant win in the $2million Group I VRC Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) at Flemington on Saturday.
Trained by James Cummings and ridden by James McDonald, In Secret was narrowly beaten in the Group I ATC Golden Rose last month behind Jacquinot, but made amends with a commanding performance.
She travelled smoothly in the big field and let down with a brilliant burst of acceleration to win by two lengths over progressive Zoustar filly C’Est Magique with Buenos Noches the first colt home in third place.
“It's a good feeling winning that race. The Coolmore Stud Stakes has become the Golden Slipper of the Spring Carnival for three-year-olds,” said James Cummings.
"I've had horses that have won Golden Roses before and you dream about winning a Coolmore because you have to go to the next level to go to Derby Day and perform on the big stage over six furlongs and at set weights against the best."
James Cummings believes In Secret would not have been out of place in the Everest, but there is always next year for that.
“About four or five weeks before The Everest I was asked what horse would I recommend for The Everest. They said, if it's not going to be Anamoe, who is it going to be?” said Cummings.
"I said well I think it is going to be one of our best horses on the farm. They asked who was I talking about?
"I said, this horse In Secret is one of the best horses we've got out there and she could run a race. You watch that race today and watch what she did to Jacquinot there, you tell me that she wouldn't have given them a scare.
"Regardless of that, we've won the Coolmore and we kept her on ice for this race. She's probably going to be The Everest favourite for next year."
A disturbance in the barriers before the start gave James McDonald a few anxious moments, but all’s well that ends well and In Secret now has the impressive record of four wins and two seconds from six starts with $1.7million in prizemoney.
"There was just a muck around at the start, Economics had to come out again, it was just a bit of a shambles really, we were in there a long time. I was in there longer than I wanted to be,” McDonald said.
"She got a bit fractious (in the gates). She popped in the air and I thought 'God damn' but she mustered really quickly and she put herself into a good spot even thought I was travelling like a winner but she picks up, picks up and showed a good turn-of-foot.
"She was just on song really, she was ready to go, she jumped in the air but she's a good filly."
In Secret was bred in partnership by Longwood Thoroughbred Farm and Segenhoe, who consigned her for sale, and is the second winner from former brilliant Group III winning filly Eloping, who won over $1.2million in prizemoney.
Longwood Thoroughbred Farm sold the current two year-old from Eloping, a filly by Trapeze Artist, for $200,000 at Inglis Premier this year to Mick Price Racing and Breeding.
Eloping has a filly to follow by Snitzel and has foaled this spring producing a full sister to In Secret.
Already a stakes-winner last season, In Secret highlights one of the most successful nicks for her champion sire I Am Invincible and is his 14th Group I winner.
I Am Invincible over daughters of Choisir has a 100% success rate with 11 winners from 11 runners and In Secret is the first Group I winner and third stakes-winner joining Group I placed Group III winner Eckstein and stakes-winner I Am Eloquent.
