I Am Invincible Colt Tops Day Two at Inglis Premier

An AU$950,000 (US$686,028) colt by top stallion I Am Invincible  will join an enviable portfolio of young horses under the ownership of Coolmore Australia after principal Tom Magnier won an intense bidding duel late on the second day of the Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale.

Global racing and breeding giant Coolmore's push to find another Home Affairs, arguably the most valuable colt in training in Australia following his recent win in the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes (G1), led them to zero in on the top-priced son of I Am Invincible, a transaction which was also important for historic Hunter Valley breeder Widden Stud in its expansion into Victoria.

The colt was the highlight of another strong session of the 2022 sale, in which AU$34.225 million ($24,715,070) changed hands Feb. 28, eclipsing the AU$33,382,500 ($24,106,672) that was traded during the Feb. 27 opening day.

Anticipation built throughout the day that the Widden Stud-consigned I Am Invincible colt was likely to top the session and that was immediately evident when the opening bid was made at AU$500,000 ($361,068), leading to competition from multiple parties.

Tony Fung's representative Sally Williams was the underbidder while the Rosemont Stud-led Victorian Alliance also made a strong play for the colt bred by Sun Stud, the former custodians of Widden's Victoria property.

Just two yearlings have realized a higher price at the Premier sale, namely Octane, the half brother to the Written Tycoon  colt who sold for AU$675,000 ($487,441) on Feb. 27, and last year's sale-topping AU$1.1 million ($794,349) son of Written Tycoon.

"We've had a great run with Home Affairs, he is obviously red-hot right now having won the Lightning last week. We came here with the intention of buying the best colt we could find at the sale and, physically, he really stood out," said Coolmore's nominations and sales manager, Colm Santry.

"He was a great mover for an I Am Invincible colt. We really liked him. The pedigree was good. We didn't think we had to go as far, but we did, and we are very glad we got him."

Home Affairs' trainer Chris Waller will take charge of the youngster.

"He was the standout colt and the colts syndicates had all done a lot of due diligence on this horse, so they do have that sort of firepower when they do team up on the star colts," Widden principal Antony Thompson said.

"It was good to see him go to Coolmore, who seems to be really leading the charge in that department. Obviously, this horse fits into a real sweet spot for them around Home Affairs, a horse they have got an enormous thrill out of buying for a similar number (AU$875,000) ($631,868) who went on to win their own race, the Coolmore Stud Stakes."

"It was one of Tom Magnier's finest days to win with a colt like that and I guess they see the similarities here with the way he's bred and the way he looks, so it's no surprise to see them go again."

Cataloged as Lot 522, the colt is the fifth foal out of group 3 winner Fine Bubbles, while he is also a brother to ATC Breeders' Plate (G3) runner-up Covert Ops and the Melbourne juvenile winner Libiamo. The latter is in training with Will Clarken in Adelaide while the 2-year-old out of Fine Bubbles, Talento, ran in the Kirkham Plate at her only race start last October.

"His full relation was a small foal and was retained by the breeders and is in Singapore at the moment (Covert Ops)," Santry said. 

"He was a very good horse early, ran second in the Arrowfield Breeders' Plate, just beaten by Dubious, so the mare can throw a horse."

Coolmore's colts syndicate also paid AU$1.9 million ($1,372,057) for the sale-topping I Am Invincible colt at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale in January after purchasing five colts by the same stallion in 2021.

Silverdale Farm's Fillies Find Favor in the Market

I Am Invincible also had the honor of siring the second top lot sold on day two, an AU$550,000 ($397,174) filly, after Legend Racing's Bon Ho made his fourth purchase of the Premier sale late in the session.

After purchasing the Silverdale Farm-consigned filly, Ho immediately entrusted Michael, Wayne, and John Hawkes, themselves having bought day one's top-priced yearling, the AU$675,000 colt out of Soorena, with the training duties.

"I was very keen to buy this filly. She was the pick of the sale for me, she came strongly recommended to me by (Inglis') Jonathan D'Arcy as well as a number of trainers and very good judges, so I really was very keen to get her," Ho said from Hong Kong.

"She's a lovely filly with a strong pedigree. I was able to view video footage of her on the Inglis website the past couple of weeks and I also loved the way she moved. I love I Am Invincible as a stallion, he's one of my favorites, so I couldn't be happier to buy this filly.

"She wasn't cheap but I'm very pleased she's mine now.''

Cataloged as Lot 497, the filly is the second foal out of New Zealand group 2-placed mare Endean Rose, who was sourced by New Zealand Bloodstock's Mike Kneebone for breeders Steve Grant and Ken Lowe.

"She was a nice foal that just kept improving all the way along, right through the prep to pre-sale inspections on the farm," Silverdale Farm manager Rob Petith said. 

"We knew then that we thought she would be well received down here and she hasn't spent much time in the box. A few years ago, I actually sold another Vinnie filly to Legend Racing in Madam Legend (a group 3 winner when working at Canning Downs Stud), so we are thrilled to bits that she has gone to race in those wonderful silks."

Endean Rose's first foal, a filly by Russian Revolution, was bought at last year's Premier sale by Michael and Richard Freedman for AU$55,000 ($39,717).

One lot earlier, Silverdale Farm sold the I Am Invincible half sister to Soqrat , a three-time grade 1 winner in South Africa under the Shadwell banner, for AU$350,000 ($252,747) to Singapore's Aramco Racing and trainers Mick Price and Mick Kent Jr.

The seventh foal out of Elzeeza, she was bought at last year's Shadwell dispersal at the Magic Millions National Sale for AU$160,000 ($115,542) by Silverdale Farm and agent Andrew Williams.

"She was a beautiful filly that we purchased through the Shadwell dispersal at the National sale," Petith said. 

"She was a filly that I loved when I saw her on the farm. She improved all the way through and we thought we had her right on the money."

Silverdale Farm is on the cusp of another 100% clearance, having sold three fillies in the space of ten lots late yesterday, with a daughter of So You Think  making AU$180,000 ($129,984) to Mornington trainer John McArdle.

Silverdale Farm, which has a Zoustar colt to sell today, has sold eight yearlings in Melbourne so far for a total of AU$1,960,000 ($1,415,385) at an average of AU$245,000 ($176,923).

Ho paid AU$550,000 for a Snitzel  colt on day one and added an AU$240,000 ($173,312) son of Deep Field and an AU$180,000 ($129,984) High Chaparral  colt during yesterday's trade.

McDonald Takes a Second Bite of a Snitzel 

Cranbourne trainer Clinton McDonald hopes he has unearthed another "diamond" after going to AU$475,000 ($343,014) for a Snitzel filly on day two at Oaklands Junction.

The second highest-priced filly of the Premier sale so far, and the ninth most expensive yearling from the first two sessions, the daughter of Snitzel is the second foal out of the juvenile winner Amelia's La Bout, providing her with a two-by-three cross to Snippets' Lass.

"A gentleman from Perth called Peter Walsh bred this filly and I got some information that they thought that (the dam) was pretty good but she broke down at her second start," McDonald said. 

"She didn't reach her full potential, obviously, and this filly looked like a real athlete and so we were very happy to purchase her."

Catalogued as Lot 353, the youngster was consigned by Segenhoe Thoroughbreds on behalf of Walsh's Amelia Park Racing and Breeding.

"She is just always cool. She never turned a hair in the back parade ring," McDonald said. 

"There were a couple of horses going off, but she just kept at her job, head down, bum up and kept moving. 

"She has a great attitude, she has got a great physique and I thought she was a nice filly."

McDonald bought the filly on behalf of long-time owner Domenic Romanelli, who also raced the group 3-winning mare Diamond Effort with the trainer.

"We've had a lot of luck in buying these fillies. The last one we bought was Diamond Effort for AU$130,000 ($93,877) and sold her for AU$840,000 ($606,593), so we've been very fortunate. He's a great supporter and I love having him in the stable," McDonald said.

"Domenic and I also bought another Snitzel filly last year for AU$300,000 ($216,641) and this one is a bit similar, so on the back of that we were happy to buy another one. 

"People are paying a lot for first-season sires where you can go and buy one by a proven stallion like Snitzel for $475,000, so we're happy and let's hope we've got it right."