Best On Breeding

Mark Smith - Friday December 1

Coming off a chart-topping month with 38 winners, I Am Invincible will be out to start the new month by claiming an honour that has so far eluded him this season, a Group 1 winner.

Unless you have a horse the calibre of a Winx, the decision to keep a mare in training once she reaches five requires plenty of thought, particularly if she is a well-bred stakes-winner.

Connections of Viddora obviously believe the daughter of I Am Invincible has some unfinished business.

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She has a Group III win and Listed stakes win in South Australia to her credit but that seems scant reward for a mare that was inched out by She Will Reign in the Moir Stakes (1000m) and finished second to Secret Agenda in the Group 1 UBET Classic (Robert Sangster Stakes).

She was also a leading chance in the Group 1 Goodwood Hcp at Morphettville but came up with a foot abscess shortly before the race.


The Lloyd Kennewell-trained mare heads to Ascot on Saturday with a favourites chance in the $1 million Group 1 Winterbottom Stakes (1200m).

She is coming off a fourth behind Hey Doc in the Manikato Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley on October 27.

Bred by Riva Ridge, Viddora has a record of 6 wins, 6 seconds and 1 third from 22 starts with prizemoney of $858,480

A $40,000 Magic Millions Adelaide purchase for her trainer in 2014, Viddora is the second foal of the 5-time Melbourne winner Snow Flight, a daughter of the Zabeel stallion Colombia, a brother to Octagonal and Mouawad.

Zabeel is out of the Nureyev mare Lady Giselle whose dam Valderna is out of the outstanding broodmare Derna who is the great- great- granddam of Snow Flight.

Derna produced the top fillies Detroit (Arc de Triomphe) and Durtal (Cheveley Park Stakes and 2nd 1000 Guineas).

A daughter of Riverman, Detroit produced the 1994 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Carnegie (IRE) while Durtal (Lyphard) is the dam of dual Ascot Gold Cup winner Gildoran (Rheingold) who, like Carnegie, found his way to stud in Australia.

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