Sporting the well known purple and white Star Thoroughbreds colours, the Chris
Waller trained Invincibella indicated she was at her best with a last start win
in the Group II BRC Dane Ripper Stakes earlier this month giving connections
hope she could improve on her fifth placing in last year's Tatts Tiara.Ridden a positive race by Jason Collett, Invincibella always looked a likely contender in the run and fought hard to the line to snare her first Group I win with a short half head victory in the 1400 metre sprint over Godolphin's duo of Medaglia D'Oro (USA) filly Pohutukawa and Street Cry (IRE) mare Savatiano.
"It's eluded her for a long time but I think today she bounced off the back of her last run which was very good and gee she was tough today so there was no more horse deserving than her," said stable representative Paul Shailer in the absence of Chris Waller.
Invincibella gave Chris Waller his 18th Group I win for the season, eclipsing the previous record of 17 set by legendary trainer Tommy Smith in 1979-80, but for her rider Jason Collett it was a first Group I win.
"It's an unbelievable feeling," Collett said.
"It's been a long time coming. When Pohutukawa come to me at about the 300 metres I thought 'ah no, another second'.
"She copped a fair bump in between them but she managed to pick herself up and out-tough them."
A late bloomer that did not win a stakes race until she was four, Invincibella
has packed a lot of punch into the last 18 months and has the overall record of
11 wins and 12 placings from 38 starts with prizemoney topping $2.4 million.A $185,000 Magic Millions purchase for Star Thoroughbreds from the Sledmere Stud draft, Invincibella is a half-sister to stakes-winner Secret Blaze and is the first foal of unraced Galileo (IRE) mare Abscond, who comes from the family of Group I winner The Hind.
Abscond produced a colt by Extreme Choice last year and was then covered by Spirit of Boom..
Invincibella is the ninth Group I winner for I Am Invincible and is one of his 28 Australian stakes-winners this season.
The son of Invincible Spirit stands this spring at a fee of $247,500.
