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Sire tops off another wonderful sale with another $1,000,000 lot on the Gold Coast
Yarraman Park sire I Am Invincible (Invincible Spirit) signed off on another lucrative year at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale with his second $1,000,000 lot of the auction as Annabel Neasham, working alongside her racing manager Brian McGuire, went to $1,000,000 for a colt by the stallion from the Kia Ora Stud draft.
Catalogued as Lot 934, the colt is out of 2014 ATC Challenge Stakes (Gr 2, 1000m) winner Villa Verde (Not A Single Doubt), who has already produced one winner.
Villa Verde herself is a half-sister to Group 3-placed Miss Sharapova (Ustinov), who is the dam of this season’s Danehill Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) winner Doubtland (Not A Single Doubt) and Listed winner Pretty Fast (Not A Single Doubt).
Further back this is the same family as Group 3 winner Sushi Rocket (Salmon Leap) and Group 2 scorer Rory’s Rocket (Roan Rocket).
Kia Ora’s Bloodstock and Breeding Manager Shane Wright told Racing & Bloodstock that the colt had been a standout from day one and did not turn a hair during the rigorous inspection process.
“He was a beautiful colt and we loved him from day one at Kia Ora,” said Wright. “He has taken every day in his stride. He got to the sales and couldn’t have behaved better and went down really well. It is a great result for Kia Ora, but massive congratulations has to go to Magic Millions for putting on a great sale.”
Wright spent a number of years as farm manager at Yarraman Park, where I Am Invincible, resides and he said he rated him among some of the best colts by the sire he had ever seen.
“He is by a champion sire in I Am Invincible, whose record with stakes winners speaks for itself and Villa Verde was one of Australia’s best mares and she is by Not A Single Doubt and was superfast and the pedigree has got an update in the last while with Doubtland,” said Wright.
“We knew we had a nice colt, but you can never think in the $1,000,000 bracket. He is right up the top of all the good I Am Invinicbles, he is a little bit different to some you see, he had a little bit more size and a little bit more scope, but he was a lovely horse in general.”
Neasham has hit the ground running since taking out her licence earlier this season and she said she fell in love with the colt at Kia Ora.
“I loved him,” Neasham said. “I saw him twice on the farm at Kia Ora and I loved him the first time and when I went back for my second looks, I loved him even more.
“It has been a long week waiting for him to come through on the final night, so I am delighted to get him, especially being from a great farm in Kia Ora.
“It is great to get a really exciting colt and hopefully we can come back here next year with him.
“His action is great, he’s got a deep girth and he has got a great attitude.”
Annabel Neasham and Brian McGuire teamed up to purchase seven yearlings for an aggregate of $2,705,000 at an average of $386,429.
Yarraman Park’s I Am Invincible finished the sale as the leading sire by aggregate with 44 yearlings selling for $23,960,000 at an average of $544,545 having finished the 2020 sale as the leading sire by both aggregate and average.
