Nicks That Click – Two Champion Sires

Tara Madgwick - Monday April 24

Two stakes-winners last Saturday highlight a nick that is enjoying growing success and is not a hard one for breeders to explore, even for those operating on a budget.

The nick involves reigning champion sire I Am Invincible and mares carrying the blood of former champion sire Encosta de Lago.

Hawaii Five Oh was impressive winning the G3 Hawkesbury Guineas - image Steve Hart

The Group III Hawkesbury Guineas (1400m) was won in spectacular style by exciting colt Hawaii Five Oh, who is a full brother to ill-fated sprinter Libertini, a multiple Group II winner with multiple G1 placings.

While Libertini died prematurely before she could nail a G1, Hawaii Five Oh will get every opportunity to go one better than his famous sister in the care of Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott.

He is the 13th stakes-winner by I Am Invincible from a mare either by Encosta de Lago or carrying his blood further back.

Priced at $302,500 this spring, I Am Invincible is beyond the reach of most breeders, but his young sire son Overshare is not and he’s the sire of the next stakes-winner we’ll highlight in Lady Laguna.

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Multiple Group placed at two, Lady Laguna won the Listed BRC Mick Dittman Plate (1200m) at Doomben and has won over $500,000 in prizemoney.

She is the first stakes-winner for Widden Stud based Overshare, whose fee has been set at $8,800, and like Hawaii Five Oh is from a daughter of Encosta de Lago.

I am Invincible and/or his sire sons appear in the pedigrees of 16 stakes-winners from mares with Encosta blood from 111 runners with the strike rate of 14.4% SW to runner.

The star performers for the nick are five time Group I winning mare Imperatriz and Group I SAJC Goodwood Handicap winner Lombardo as well as this season’s Golden Slipper place-getter King’s Gambit.

Let’s compare I Am Invincible (and sire sons) in the same way with mares carrying the blood of several other champion sires that are now influential broodmare sires.

Sire

Runners

Winners

SW/ SW to Runner%

Best Horse

Zabeel

174

120

21 - 12%

G1 Viddora, Invincibella

Encosta de Lago

111

69

16- 14.4%

Imperatriz, Lombardo

Flying Spur

122

85

12 - 10%

G1 Home Affairs, On the Bubbles

Redoute’s Choice

230

144

10 - 4%

G2 Super Smink

Lonhro

53

33

8 - 15%

G2 Zapateo, Exploring

More Than Ready (USA)

66

40

4 - 6%

G1 On the Bubbles

Exceed and Excel

63

38

4 - 6%

G2 Exploring

Choisir

32

17

3 - 9%

G1 In Secret

Fastnet Rock

102

62

3 – 3%

G3 Queen of the Ball

Street Cry (IRE)

24

18

2 – 8%

G2 Shuffle Dancer

Snitzel

47

28

2 – 4%

G2 Super Smink

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