A brilliant winner of the Group I VRC Myer Classic in the spring, quality I am Invincible filly I Am a Star was back in the winning groove at Flemington on Saturday with a determined victory in the Group II VRC Kewney Stakes. Dropped back to fillies grade after two good efforts against open class older sprinters at her first two runs back from a spell, the Shane Nichols trained filly showed her class when sent out favourite. She took a while to wind up for Dean Yendall, but finished full of running to win the 1600 metre feature by half a head. “Probably 500(m) from home, I was pretty confident but about the furlong, she put in a funny stride and then got a bit unbalanced,” Yendall said. “I had to pick her up again but I tell you what, she was pretty tough.” Nichols said the Group II MVRC Sunline Stakes (1600m) at Moonee Valley on March 24 will be I Am A Star’s next outing before possible rich targets in Sydney or Adelaide for the remainder of the autumn. “She’s still in the Doncaster and she’s still in the Coolmore Legacy,” Nichols said. “But if it was wet up there, we’ll save ourselves for Adelaide.” I Am a Star was a $40,000 Inglis Classic purchase for James Harron Bloodstock from the Broadwater Farm Thoroughbreds draft and has won five of 12 starts and over $800,000 in prizemoney for owner Matthew Sandblom of Kingstar Farm and Newgate Farm. I Am a Star was actually bred in New Zealand by Eales Racing and was sold at the NZB Weanling Sale for $12,000 out of the Rich Hill Stud draft before being sent to Australia for re-sale. A full sister to stakes-placed Band on the Run, I Am a Star is the third winner for Star Band (USA), a half-sister by Dixieland Band to Group III winner Common World from the family of Australian Group I winner Pear Tart. I Am Invincible also went close to achieving another Group I winner when his honest five year-old gelding Voodoo Lad beat all bar Redkirk Warrior (GB) in the Group I VRC Newmarket Handicap. Racing in career best form for the Darren Weir stable, Voodoo Lad has won nearly $900,000 in prizemoney and is entered for the Group I ATC TJ Smith Stakes at The Championships next month. (picture by Grant Courtney)