Anode claims Listed honours
Anode (I Am Invincible) had always threatened to win a big prize and on Saturday at Rosehill the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained colt went someway to delivering on that early promise when he pulled a brave performance out of the fire to win the Tapp-Craig (Listed, 1400m).
The son of I Am Invincible (Invincible Spirit) showed talent as a two-year-old, placing at stakes level on three occasions including finishing second in both the Pago Pago Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) and Baillieu Stakes (Gr 3, 1400m).
On his seasonal return as a three-year-old, Anode was a close first–up second to Traffic Warden (Street Boss) in the Run To The Rose (Gr 2, 1200m), before fading on the soft track in the Golden Rose (Gr 1, 1400m) to finish down the field in eighth.
Back on a firm deck under Tim Clark on Saturday, Anode showed what he can do, edging out Just Party (Justify) to beat that rival by 0.2 lengths. Deconstruction (Snitzel) finished a further 2.8 lengths further back in third.
Bott said the $1 million Callander-Presnell (Gr 2, 1600m) at Randwick on October 26 now loomed as the next assignment for the colt.
“I was always confident he would be able to find plenty under pressure. He got a little bit lost when he quickened so nicely and was out there in front by himself, but I knew he would find and he did,” the trainer said.
“We always thought he could get further so we’ll look to take him to the mile and go to the Callander-Presnell in a couple of weeks.”
Anode (3 c I Am Invincible – Mysterious Light by Fantastic Light) was retained to race by his breeders Evergreen Rich after he failed to make his $375,000 reserve at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
Out of dual winner Mysterious Light (Fantastic Light), Anode is a half-brother to Singapore Listed winner Ozzy Star (Sepoy), further back this is the same family as Group 2 winner Lightsaber (Zoustar).
In 2022, Mysterious Light produced a colt by Maurice (Screen Hero), who also failed to sell at the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale. Now called Comic, he is also in training with Waterhouse and Bott. Last year, the mare produced a colt by Widden Stud’s marquee stallion Zoustar (Northern Meteor).
In winning Saturday’s Listed contest, Anode became the 110th individual stakes winner for Yarraman Park’s headline act I Am Invincible and he stands for $275,000 (inc GST), making him the third-equal most expensive stallion standing in the country, sharing the honour with Newgate’s Extreme Choice (Not A Single Doubt) and Zoustar.