The only filly in the catalogue by champion sire I Am Invincible was an instant hit at the Inglis Australian Weanling Sale on Monday when she topped the opening session for the Alma Vale Thoroughbreds/ Kitchwin Hills Partnership fetching $575,000.
Consigned on behalf of Ridgmont Farm, she is the second living foal from Group III winning Sebring mare Shoko, a half-sister to Group winners Mimi Le Brock and Heavenly Thought.
A three-quarter sister-in-blood to Group III winner Barbaric, she was purchased by New Zealand based Nick and Nicky White’s Kaha Nui Farm.
We have a new top lot at #InglisAusWeanling with Lot 195, a stunning I Am Invincible x Shoko filly, offered by @KitchwinHills @AlmaValeTB selling to Kaha Nui Farm for a stellar $575k! pic.twitter.com/FxhdxaCVTG
— Inglis (@inglis_sales) May 6, 2024
“I started off thinking we could get $200,000 for her but then I had a couple of people come up to me today and I thought then that we could get $300,000 or $400,000 for her,’’ Alma Vale Thoroughbreds Stud Manager, Verna Metcalfe commented after the sale.
“Was I surprised to see her get $575,000? No, because she’s a Vinnie filly and a really quality filly at that.
“She was our top lot as far as inspections went, she was never in the box. It’s brilliant.’’
I Am Invincible weanling’s top Day 1 at the @inglis_sales Australian Weanling Sale.
The top Lot of the day was Lot 1️⃣9️⃣5️⃣ – a bay filly out of the G3-winning Sebring mare Shoko. She was sold on the account of @AlmaValeTB & @KitchwinHills on behalf of @RidgmontFarm for $575k to… pic.twitter.com/jKfVKGdBVd
— Yarraman Park Stud (@yarramanpark) May 6, 2024
It was an equally outstanding result for Ridgmont Farm’s Andrew Dunemann, who bought the mare Shoko – in foal to Home Affairs – for $245,000 on Inglis Digital just last month.
For buyer Nicky White, any decision on whether the filly is retained to raced or sold at a yearling sale in 2025 won’t be made in the immediate future.
“The [I Am Invincible] fillies are doing well and at the end of the day if I want to keep her and race her, I’ve got a filly to race. I loved her,’’ White said.
“We ended up keeping a filly last year so we’ll get her home and just see how she goes, take a breath and calm the nerves and get on with it.
“You’ve always got residual value with a filly like her, which I really like…and I love developing young athletes myself.’’
Yarraman Park also got a great result selling an I Am Invincible colt from Rose of Mulan for $360,000 to Boomer Bloodstock.
The colt was bred by Steve Gillard and is a half-brother to Group winners Shades of Rose and Scallopini from terrific producer Rose of Mulan, who had a Hellbent weanling filly make $400,000 at the Magic Millions National Weanling Sale last year and she is now back in foal to Hellbent.