With just two 3yo runners at Sale’s Wednesday meeting by Yarraman Park’s I Am Invincible, both recorded success with the Ciaron Maher trained pair showing the promise of more to come.
Resuming off a break, 3yo I Am Invincible filly Fifteen Reasons hadn’t shown much in her two previous runs, but on Wednesday in the small seven-horse field was sent out the second favourite.
With the Ben, Will and JD Hayes trained race favourite Australian Legacy going along the rail to lead with First Fifteen on her outside, the pair mainatined that position as they led the field into the home straight.
Clearly under pressure, Australian Legacy started to weaken as Ben Allen still had plenty of horse underneath him as he went for home aboard First Fifteen.
Although Benriach charged from the tail of the field, closing quickly, the bird had flown as First Fifteen took the win, breaking her maiden by a length and a half margin.
Purchased for $500,000 from the Emirates Park by Ciaron Maher Bloodstock from the Magic Millions yearling sale, the Merricks Station and Ozzie Kheir bred First Fifteen is the second winner from three to the races out of the Drumbeats mare Ra Ra Epic, a sister to Listed Bergerac, three quarter-sister to G3 winner Ardrossan, half-sister to triple G1 winner Incentive and Listed winner Cheynne Warrior.
Ra Ra Epic foaled a colt by boom sire Home Affairs in the spring before being covered by Rosemont Stud's Shamus Award.
Two races later, sporting the same-coloured silks, 3yo colt Tower Bridge gave the stable their second winner of the meeting.
A winner two starts back in December when trained by Mark Walker before a second placed effort last start, the colt has since had a change of ownership and has been transferred into the Maher stable.
Short in the market, the 3yo colt went forward under Ethan Brown to settle in second position on the outside of the Emma-Lee & David Browne trained Nuggies who took up the rail position.
When the home turn was reached, Brown kicked up a gear aboard Tower Bridge where the imposing colt extended away and although he drifted towards the inside rail late, he held a half-length winning margin over the Dwayne Reid trained Commands Success.
Purchased for $1.3m by Te Akau Racing’s David Ellis and Coolmore’s Tom Magnier from the Magic Millions yearling sale draft of Yarraman Park Stud, Tower Bridge is the fourth winner from four to the races out of the New Zealand-bred Street Cry mare Palace Talk.
Bred by Arthur Mitchell and Yarraman Park Partnership, Tower Bridge is a brother to the G2 winner Shuffle Dancer as well as the multiple G3 placed Forbidden City while he is also a half-brother to the G2 placed Never Talk who was good enough to finish fourth in the G1 Surround Stakes.
A half-sister to the dams of G2 winner Contessa Vanessa and the Listed winner Astor, Palace Talk is also the dam of Listed winner Niki Piki Milo, who is in turn the dam of this season’s G2 Danehill Stakes winner McGaw
Having missed to I Am Invincible the season after foaling Tower Bridge, Palace Talk has a yearling filly three-time Champion sire before unfortunately missing again the following season and has since been covered by him once again.
With five winners on Wednesday including John O’Shea and Tom Charlton’s impressive 2yo filly Scintillation – read all about her win here, I Am Invincible’s current crop of yearlings have sold up to $1.25m at the Magic Millions and will be represented by eight at the Inglis Premier and a further 41 at the Inglis Easter yearling sale.
