Outstanding I Am Invincible filly In Secret beat the colts last spring to win the Group I VRC Coolmore Stud Stakes and she returned to the same venue to beat the best older sprinters in the $1.5million Group I VRC Newmarket Handicap (1200m) on Saturday.

With Jamie Kah injured in a fall earlier on the day, Dean Holland was the replacement rider for the James Cummings trained In Secret and he made the most of it.

With the field spread the width of the Flemington straight, In Secret displayed a brilliant turn of foot to defeat 3yo colt Lofty Strike by a length with a short-neck back to Golden Eagle winner I Wish I Win in third with G1 sprinters Private Eye and Mazu in fourth and fifth.

It was the second Group I win for In Secret advancing her record to six wins, two seconds, and a third from nine starts with earnings of $2.7 million.

“First and foremost, the hardest thing to do is remove the emotion from it because we really feel for Jamie, and we hope she’s alright, which is the most important thing,” James Cummings said.

“Then you’ve got to press on, and it’s business and find who is available at 51.5 (kilos), and it’s not an easy thing because the Victorian limit weights have raised to 54 and it’s pretty rare for riders to regularly be available to ride at such a light weight.

“Dean Holland is the kind of guy that has been there to ride for the Hawkeses at 47 in a Lightning on a two-year-old and he’s ridden light his whole life.

“He came to the fore from the jockeys’ room and I said Dean, ‘will you ride my filly for me in the Newmarket?’, and he said, ‘I think I can make myself available’.

“So we went through the ride for the next 25 minutes, and I showed him the replays and I showed him Dominic Beirne’s map. He’s a pretty bullish guy, he didn’t seem phased at all for any minute with me and he rode her accordingly.

“I’ve got to give him credit for filling big shoes there and doing the job.

“Didn’t she just explode through the gap? We were confident we had her perfect, but she just exploded through the gap when it came and was upon them from second last in the run.

“It was a proper Newmarket and with 51.5 we just didn’t see when she was at her best and had clear running how they might beat her.”

In Secret will return to Sydney with the $3million Group I ATC TJ Smith Stakes (1200m) at WFA on April 1 her next target race.

“She steps up to weight-for-age in three weeks and the best sprinters in the country, but she’s a very, very good horse and we’re grateful as a team to have her,” Cummings said.

“For his Highness Sheikh Mohammed to win another Newmarket here – the second (Bivouac won in 2020) in the last four years – is a big result.”

In Secret was bred in partnership by Longwood Thoroughbred Farm and Segenhoe, who consigned her for sale, and is the second winner from former brilliant Group III winning filly Eloping, who won over $1.2million in prizemoney.

Eloping produced a full sister to In Secret last spring and is back in foal to the champion sire again.

In Secret highlights one of the most successful nicks for her champion sire I Am Invincible.

I Am Invincible over daughters of Choisir has a 100% success rate with 12 winners from 12 runners and In Secret is the first Group I winner and third stakes-winner joining Group I placed Group III winner Eckstein and stakes-winner I Am Eloquent.

Image: Grant Courtney