Classy I Am Invincible filly comes up trumps en route to the Magic Millions
Two-year-old scores comprehensive win at Wyong to ensure trip to the Gold Coast
She’s All Class (I Am Invincible) is fighting out pre-post favouritism for next month’s $2 million Magic Millions 2YO Classic (RL, 1200m) after a brilliant performance at Wyong yesterday surged her to the top of betting markets.
The Chris Waller-trained juvenile filly, who strolled to a four and three-quarter length victory on the NSW Central Coast track, was last night quoted at $4.60 alongside her ATC Breeders’ Plate- (Gr 3, 1000m) winning stablemate Shaquero (Shalaa).
She’s All Class ($7), who was ridden by champion jockey James McDonald, held off the Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young-trained Gleneagles (Capitalist) ($4.80 favourite) and Swift Witness (Star Witness) ($5) in the $200,000 Magic Millions Wyong 2YO Classic (RL, 1100m).
McDonald revealed post-race that Waller and his team had to manage the temperamental filly so far this campaign. She showed ability at her first start when finishing third in the Victory Vein (1000m) on October 17, a race won by Captivant (Capitalist), before the stable switched its attention to qualifying for the Gold Coast race on January 16.
“She’s a hypo little filly, so Chris and his team have done a great job with her,” McDonald told Sky Racing.
“We always knew she had ability, but she needed to come here today and do it.
“She wasn’t that comfortable on this track around the turns, but she was still too good. She has a really good turn of foot and the six furlongs will be right up her alley.”
She’s All Class was a $200,000 purchase from the draft of Yarraman Park at this year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale by Brae Sokolski, who races the filly under his Yes Bloodstock banner along with a string of partners including Ozzie Kheir. The pair also race multiple Group 1-winning stablemate Verry Elleegant (Zed) and enjoyed Cox Plate (Gr 1, 2040m) success with Sir Dragonet (Camelot) this year.
She’s All Class is the sixth individual winner for Shirra Nui (Viscount), an unraced half-sister to New Zealand Listed winner Khemosabi (Commands) and the Melbourne stakes-placed Zyzxx (Danehill), and again demonstrates her sire I Am Invincible’s (Invincible Spirit) remarkable ability to upgrade his mares. The filly is the Yarraman Park Stud flag bearer’s 60th individual stakes winner.
Shirra Nui, who is owned by Gall Bloodstock, has not had a live foal since producing She’s All Class but was covered by Super One (I Am Invincible) on September 11 this year.
Eleven Eleven lining up for 2021 Magic Millions day
Earlier, this year’s eventual Magic Millions 3YO Guineas (RL, 1400m) winner after the disqualification of Alligator Blood (All Too Hard), the Greg Hickman-trained Eleven Eleven (Fastnet Rock), shored up another trip to the Gold Coast with a comfortable victory at Wyong yesterday.
The four-year-old took out yesterday’s $100,000 Magic Millions Wyong 3YO & 4YO Stakes (1200m) en route north, defeating Yao Dash (Smart Missile) by three quarters of a length. Spaceboy (Deep Field) was another one and a half lengths away in third.
Eleven Eleven ran sixth first-up at Rosehill on December 5 over 1100 metres under Keagan Latham and the South African jockey was again on board yesterday.
Hickman, who also won the Magic Millions 3YO Guineas with Pierata (Pierro) in 2018, cannot wait to return to Queensland with Eleven Eleven.
“It’s working out OK. It’s been a little bit up and down with his preparation but he won really well today,” Hickman told Sky Racing.
“Keagan gets on really well with this horse and he knows what he can do on him. He might have been a bit wide, but he gave him plenty of space to hit the line.
“He’s the type of horse who wants to have an uninterrupted run. He’s not a stop-start horse and Keagan knows all that.”
Latham rode a patient race on Eleven Eleven despite being caught wide from barrier six in the eight-horse field, but the talented gelding picked up strongly around the home turn to ensure he had the major prize in his keeping.
“It was a much better performance (than first-up). He got really, really tired last time and I didn’t have a lot of options from a bad draw, so I opted to go forward and it was the slightest of gut-busters but he’s a tough animal,” Latham said.
“He’s obviously come through that and today he quickened up really well and put them away pretty easily but in the last 100 metres he was emptying out a little bit (fitness-wise), so we are on the right course to go back up to the Gold Coast.”
Hickman, who is likely to give Eleven Eleven another lead-up run before the Magic Millions raceday on January 16, paid $230,000 for the horse from the Magic Millions sale from the draft of Edinburgh Park.
He is the second foal out of Ian Smith’s US-bred mare Smokin’ Alice (Smoke Glacken) whose two-year-old colt Ovoid (Exceed And Excel) sold for $1 million to trainer Gerald Ryan at the 2020 Gold Coast sale. This year, Smokin’ Alice had a colt by Trapeze Artist (Snitzel) born on October 29.