Best On Breeding

Mark Smith - Friday January 25

There are two fascinating divisions of the Blue Diamond Preview (1000m) at Caulfield on Saturday and, if nothing else, it highlights the depth I Am Invincible has among this crop of juveniles.

Already with four stakes-winning two-year-olds, the Yarraman Park super-sire has two runners making their career debuts in the colts and gelding division while he has no less than four acceptors for the fillies division, which includes the potentially top-class Sydney filly Catch Me who carries a 2kg penalty after a hugely impressive debut in the Group III Gimcrack Stakes at Randwick last October.

Advertisement

The filly’s division rated a Group III compared to the Listed status of colts and geldings, shapes as the strongest on paper.


So will look to the colts and geldings where Exceed And Excel’s Microphone has come up a lukewarm $4 favourite following his debut win at Flemington over the Brazen Beau filly Pretty Brazen who is a leading chance in the fillies race.

The two I Am Invincible first starters are the Anthony Freedman-trained I Am Immortal has come under strong pre-post betting and the Darren Weir-trained Hulk who is also being kept very safe in the market.

They also represent different corners of the bloodstock sales market with I Am Immortal coming out of the Yarraman Park draft at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale while Hulk is also a Yarraman Park product this time at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. Significantly, Yarraman has kept an interest in both colts.

Purchased by Anthony Freedman Racing / Dream Thoroughbreds for $200,000, I Am Immortal is a three-quarter brother to the slick Whypeeo out of the Group II MRC Angus Armansco Stakes winner Melora Ad Valorem.

Hulk (pictured as a yearling)  came at a cost of $260,000 by his trainer and he is a full-brother to the enormously talented and sometimes frustrating Hellbent.

Yarraman Park launched the stud career of the Group 1 MVRC William Reid Stakes winner last spring and must have been bowled over with the reception he received.

Hellbent covered 186 mares at a fee of $27,500.

Hellbent and Hulk are out of the talented racemare Volkaspray a daughter of Volksraad (GB) who like I Am Invincible’s sire Invincible Spirit, is a son of Green Desert.

Volkaspray comes from a very solid family that traces back to the Matrice mare Miss Pompilia who is a full-sister to Pago Pago.

The winner of nine of his 10 starts at two, including the1963 Golden Slipper, Pago Pago has an amazing story to tell.

He was sold to race in America but did a tendon and took up residence at the famous Claiborne Farm in Kentucky.

He proved to be a more than useful stallion siring the outstanding Island Whirl and the Canadian Horse Of The Year Jumpin’ Joseph who stood with some success at Roseneath Stud.

But perhaps the most interesting part of the Pago Pago story came when at the age of 19 in 1979 in he was repatriated to stand at Robert Holmes a Court’s Heytesbury Stud in Western Australia.

There was a deal of sniggering at the time but Pago Pago defied all odds by becoming a huge success.

The top-class Pride Of Kellina came from his first crop, the Group II Peter Pan Stakes winner Black Ivory from his second and the Group 1 VATC Marlboro Cup winner Western Pago from his third.

Despite not covering any more than 40 mares a season, Pago Pago sired at least 20 stakes winners in Australia.

He was still active in 1987 before dying two year’s later at the age of 29.

Advertisment
More Reading...
$1million I Am Invincible Colt from G1 Winner Amanpour
Rosemont Stud bought Group I winning Northern Meteor mare Amanpour for $1.5million at the 2015 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale and got a big return on investment when selling her I Am Invincible colt for $1million during the first session of Magic Millions on Wednesday.
Coolmore Favs get the Flemington Straight Experience in Jump Outs
Beiwacht, Beadman and Skyhook, three of the top four in the market for next month’s Group One Coolmore Stud Stakes had a jump out down the Flemington straight on Friday with Beadman quite the eye-catcher.
A Century of NZB National Yearling Sales Success: Cox Plate
Moonee Valley’s A$6m Group One WS Cox Plate (2040m) is known as the weight-for-age championship of Australasia and has been won by many of Australia and New Zealand’s greatest thoroughbreds.
Winning Return for Blueblood I Am Invincible Filly
Last seen finishing an unlucky fourth in the $1million Magic Millions National 2YO Classic in May, speedy I Am Invincible filly Sisstainable returned from a spell at Moonee Valley on Friday night to score a tenacious win.
NZB Breeze Up Footage Now Available to View Online
The highly anticipated Breeze Up videos for NZB’s 2025 Ready to Run Sale are now available to view online at nzb.co.nz.
Juvenile Trial Watch – Rosehill
The Rosehill trials on Friday morning featured a couple of juvenile heats and both winners came out of the Widden Stud draft at Magic Millions with one topping the sale at $2.8million and the other selling for a modest $150,000.
$1,050,000 Colt for I Am Invincible
Tipped as one of the stars on day one at Magic Millions, the I Am Invincible colt from Group II winning Zabeel mare Adrift duly set the sale ring alight when selling for $1,050,00 with Guy Mulcaster signing the docket in conjunction with Waller Racing.
I Am Invincible's Media Sensation back with a bang at Te Rapa
Last season’s Gr1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) winner, Media Sensation made a successful start to her four-year-old campaign when she eased clear of race favourite Ferrando to take out the Listed Legacy Lodge Stakes (1200m) at Te Rapa.
Second Wootton Bassett Son Added to Coolmore Stallion Roster for 2026
Set to join Camille Pissarro as the second G1 winning son of Wootton Bassett on the stallion roster for Ireland in 2026 is Henri Matisse, who this time last year was about to claim his first G1 victory at the Breeders Cup meeting at Del Mar.
Invincible Colt on Target for Blue Diamond
The open juvenile event at Randwick on Saturday always looked good on paper with some highly rated fillies and two expensive colts engaged and at the winning post it was I Am Invincible’s Rulership that claimed the victory and he did it in style!