The Making of an Invincible Sire Cont
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MONDAY, 21 MAY, 2018 I Am Invincible=s sales averages have risen as sharply as his THE MAKING OF AN stud fee: his 52 first-crop yearlings sold in 2013 averaged A$39,950 and this year, with the country=s major yearling sales INVINCIBLE SIRE in the books, his 98 sold have averaged A$441,901. On race record and pedigree, I Am Invincible was a far from obvious candidate to be a champion sire. He was a decent racehorse; he won in February of his 2-year-old season and picked up a listed and Group 3 wins at five, his career somewhat impeded by chronic foot issues. He was even a length second to the brilliant sprinter Takeover Target in a Group 1. He is, however, by Invincible Spirit (Ire) who--while brilliant in the North--never really made it Down Under, leaving just eight total stakes winners from five seasons shuttling. While his first two dams are unraced, the third dam is the five-time winner Sister Pedrille (Aus) (Cardinal {Aus}), whose daughters produced six stakes horses including the G1 Queen of the Turf S. winner Diamond Drille (Aus) (Al Maher {Aus}). Cont. p2 I Am Invincible | Yarraman Park Stud IN TDN AMERICA TODAY JUSTIFY HEADS TO BELMONT IN GOOD ORDER By Kelsey Riley Dual Classic hero Justify (Scat Daddy), fresh off a win in Pimlico’s The perpetual debate about what qualities predispose a GI Preakness S., was in good order Sunday and is aiming to stallion to success is destined to be infinite, and by its nature is become the 13th U.S. Triple Crown winner in the June 9 GI what causes the industry to keep going round anyway. But even Belmont S. Click or tap here to go straight to TDN America. Arthur Mitchell, the man who picked out I Am Invincible (Aus) with his brother Harry, admitted of Australia=s latest sire sensation, AYou can=t predict these things at all.@ It is probably fair to say that few would have predicted I Am Invincible would be leading first-season sire of 2013/14 off a A$10,000 covering fee. And fewer still, four years later, probably would have guessed that this coming breeding season I Am Invincible would be up to A$192,500. And how many can even argue that he doesn=t warrant that almost dizzying upward spiral? I Am Invincible sits second to only the reigning champion sire Snitzel (Aus) (2018 service fee A$220,000) by both progeny earnings and stakes winners this season. Behind him in both categories are the likes of Fastnet Rock (Aus), High Chaparral (Ire) and Street Cry (Ire). He has this season sired 18 stakes winners, 12 of those group winners. Four of those group winners are 2-year-olds, and remarkably that list doesn=t even include Oohood (Aus) who, with A$996,100 in the bank, is surely the world=s most accomplished maiden, having been placed in Australia=s three most important 2-year-old Group 1s. TDN EUROPE/INTERNATIONAL • PAGE 2 OF 17 • THETDN.COM MONDAY • 21 MAY, 2018 Two will be offered as part of the supplementary catalogue of HE WALKED OUT OF HIS BOX AND WE the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale. AFor a 10-grand horse we always got good books to him LOOKED AT EACH OTHER AND SAID, because we could sell him on looks,@ Mitchell said. AWe weren=t “WE’VE JUST GOT TO HAVE THIS too fussy what was bred and a lot of the good early winners were bred by us. We sold 13 lifetime breeding rights to help, HORSE. HE’S SO GOOD-LOOKING.” and [first-crop G1 Coolmore Stud S. winner] Brazen Beau got the Arthur Mitchell on I Am Invincible stallion rolling. We stood the first four years at 10-grand and when his first 2-year-olds looked good and we knew they could run, we started to creep his fee up.@ I Am Invincible went up to A$25,000 off his first season sires= premiership--the foals resulting from that season are this year=s The Making of an Invincible Sire Cont. from p1 2-year-olds--A$50,000 the following year and A$110,000 last Much further back in the family are the champion mare Flight year. Last year=s book included the great Black Caviar (Aus) (Bel (Aus) and leading French sire Clarion (Fr). Esprit {Aus}), and Mitchell said, AHe=s absolutely flat out with Arthur Mitchell said it was I Am Invincible=s looks that drew the people trying to breed to him.@ Yarraman team to purchase half of him from owners Ray and The intention was to initially restrict I Am Invincible to 160 Brett Gall of Pedrille Thoroughbreds, who had bought him as a mares last year, but the stallion=s good fertility meant that yearling for A$62,500. number got bumped up a bit. AWe knew about I Am Invincible as a 2-year-old and we knew AHe=s very fertile so he got through his main book quite easily, he was a good-looking yearling and we had followed him,@ and then in November, people still wanted to breed to him later Mitchell said. AWe knew he=d had issues with his feet, and we=re in the season and he was sitting in his box, so we were inclined still very careful with his feet; we spend a lot of time worrying to let a few in,@ Mitchell explained. AWe certainly weren=t about them. On paper he didn=t look good enough, but we=d had pushing him, he did it himself. But this year we would like to a bit of a look and he=d run second to Takeover Target in a bring him back a bit. He=s probably fit to cover 180 mares.@ pretty good sprint.@ Mitchell said I Am Invincible=s success could stem from the fact AWe met the owners and we agreed on a price subject to us that he regularly passes on his good looks and demeanour. going to look at him. Harry and I flew down, my brother Bill Cont. p3 picked us up and we drove down and said, >the rule here is that the horse has to walk out of his box and we=ve just got to love him.= He walked out of his box and we looked at each other and THIS HORSE IS A ONCE IN A LIFETIME said, >we=ve just got to have this horse. He=s so good-looking.= He=s the most marvelous-looking horse with the best HORSE AND HE’S EXCEEDED temperament you=ve ever seen.@ EVERYONE’S EXPECTATIONS. Yarraman and Pedrille sold 13 lifetime breeding rights in the Arthur Mitchell on I Am Invincible horse to get him some extra support from the start. A few of those breeding rights have been offered at public auction in recent years, with Phoenix Thoroughbreds snapping up one for A$575,000 at the Inglis Chairman=s sale last month. TDN EUROPE/INTERNATIONAL • PAGE 3 OF 17 • THETDN.COM MONDAY • 21 MAY, 2018 The Making of an Invincible Sire Cont. AHe throws his good looks and he=s a dominant bay/brown stallion,@ he said. AHis clearance rate at the sales is fantastic. He=s a reliable type-getter, they=ve got good dispositions, they are easy horses to train; I wasn=t sure about them being 2-year- olds, but this year with them being from better mares in better stables they=ve stepped up as 2-year-olds.@ I Am Invincible has achieved a remarkable clearance rate at this year=s sales, with 98 of his 103 offered sold for an average Vice President, International Operations of A$441,901 and a median of A$345,000. Gary King It is conceivable to think that I Am Invincible would be popular Twitter: @garykingTDN in the Northern Hemisphere considering the prolific reach of his [email protected] sire there, but Mitchell said it is unlikely the horse will leave his + 1.732.320.0975 homeland. Northern Hemisphere time covers would be International Editor considered, however, Afor the right kind of mare.@ Kelsey Riley AI haven=t considered shuttling him, I=ve had numerous offers Twitter: @kelseynrileyTDN as you can imagine but I haven=t considered it,@ Mitchell said. [email protected] AWith his feet, and he=s a very big horse--he=s 16.3--so he=s a big horse to travel and we just feel it=s safer. We=re not paying off European Editor an expensive horse, he didn=t cost a lot by today=s standards, so Emma Berry we=re just as happy to keep him at home.@ Twitter: @collingsberry AI=m not anti-shuttling and I think it=s been a huge thing in [email protected] Australia and it=s introduced some fabulous blood. Now we have Associate International Editor mares foaling to American Pharoah, who is the most stunning Heather Anderson horse and we=re all very excited to see his progeny. I think Twitter: @HLAndersonTDN [shuttling] has been a great advancement for Australian breeding with Darley and Coolmore leading the way and now Marketing Manager John Messara going the Japanese way to a degree. It all benefits Alayna Cullen our gene pool immensely.@ Twitter: @AlaynaCullen Yarraman Park also stands Hinchinbrook (Aus), a three-quarter [email protected] brother to Snitzel, and this year it will add I Am Invincible=s Contributing Editor Group 1-winning son Hellbent (Aus) to the roster.