I Am Invincible tracks further history
I Am Invincible continues to set a record-breaking pace at the top of the Australian sires’ table, following a stakes-winning treble across Australia on Saturday.
When Danehill (Danzig) claimed the first of his nine Australian sires’ championships in 1994-95, his progeny earned $4.4 million across the Australian racing season. As a measure of how much prize-money has increased in the 29 years since, the current Australian campaign has just ticked over into its third month and already I Am Invincible’s (Invincible Spirit) progeny have earned just short of $5.2 million.
Breaking records is nothing new for the Yarraman Park-based sire, who is the only stallion in Australian history to have surpassed 200 winners in a season – he has done that twice – while in 2018-19, he set a new record for the number of stakes winners in a season, 28.
On Saturday ‘Vinnie’ celebrated a rare treble of stakes winners on the same day, with his $1.6 million colt Bodyguard winning impressively on debut in the Maribyrnong Trial (Listed, 1000m), while three-year-old King’s Gambit won the Roman Consul Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) and Jack The Lad caused a minor upset in the Murray Bridge Gold Cup (Listed, 1600m).
It was the third time that the sire has had a trio of stakes winners in the same day – the first was in November 2018 and the second in February this year – but it was the first occasion where all three stakes wins have been in Australia.
It takes his total of individual stakes winners to seven for the season. That is not quite on the same pace as he set in 2018-19, when he had 10 individual stakes winners by this point of the season, but it puts him four clear of his nearest rival in that category, which is the overseas-based Sea The Stars (Cape Cross).
I Am Invincible is currently ranked second for seasonal winners in Australia, on 47, two behind Zoustar (Northern Meteor). After 69 days of the Australia season, the son of Invincible Spirit is averaging 0.68 winners per day, which is an excellent ‘run rate’, but sits only fifth among his recent dominance to this point of a season.
By October 8 in 2020-21, he already had 58 winners from 176 runners. His comparative stats in Australia to this same point of this season are 47 from 192, but while the winners may not be as numerous, the prize-money they are earning has hit record levels.
As mentioned, I Am Invincible’s progeny have already earned $5.2 million in Australia, a record for any sire to this point of a season. His list of earners is headed by Group 1 winner Imperatriz, who has already banked $635,000 in her two starts, while triple stakes winning filly Tiz Invincible has earned $483,000.
I Am Invincible progeny record in Australia by October 8 in each season
| Season | Winners | SW | SWs | Prize-money |
| 2023/24 | 47 | 7 | 11 | $5,176,671 |
| 2022/23 | 46 | 5 | 5 | $2,849,944 |
| 2021/22 | 51 | 2 | 2 | $2,473,548 |
| 2020/21 | 58 | 3 | 5 | $2,972,936 |
| 2019/20 | 51 | 3 | 4 | $2,544,750 |
| 2018/19 | 55 | 10 | 12 | $3,532,530 |
| 2017/18 | 38 | 5 | 5 | $1,899,408 |
| 2016/17 | 32 | 3 | 4 | $1,371,336 |
| 2015/16 | 20 | 0 | 0 | $495,450 |
Why it is important to visit the sires’ table at this point of the season is that next week sees the staging of Australia’s richest race, The Everest (1200m), which is now worth $20 million.
In its short existence, The Everest has tended to distort the sires’ table for much of the season. The sire of the winner of next Saturday’s race, no matter who it is, will be catapulted to the top of the table, with $7 million on offer for the winner.
On at least one occasion, The Everest has proven crucial in determining Australia’s champion sire. In 2018-19, the second Everest success of Redzel ensured Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice) overcame I Am Invincible to win the third of his four sires’ titles in that season.
As things stand, I Am Invincible will be the only sire with multiple runners in The Everest. He is represented by Hawaii Five Oh, who will run for Aquis’ slot, and In Secret, who will fly the flag for Godolphin.
Eleven of the 12 slots have been filled, with Yulong the only ones yet to play their hand. I Am Invincible’s daughter Imperatriz might be the best sprinter in Australia right now, but her connections have, to date, spurned any offers to lure her to Sydney, despite the fact that she would likely start favourite in the race. Yulong could still get a deal done, but have a few options of their own, including $10 million mare Alcohol Free (No Nay Never).
Other sires currently represented by runners in The Everest are Snitzel, Maurice, Savabeel, So You Think, Supido, Exceed And Excel, Al Maher, Extreme Choice and Vancouver.
Current 2023 The Everest runners and sires
| Horse | Sire |
| Private Eye | Al Maher |
| Cylinder | Exceed And Excel |
| Espiona | Extreme Choice |
| Hawaii Five Oh | I Am Invincible |
| In Secret | I Am Invincible |
| Mazu | Maurice |
| I Wish I Win | Savabeel |
| Shinzo | Snitzel |
| Think About It | So You Think |
| Buenos Noches | Supido |
| Overpass | Vancouver |
So, any of those stallions could usurp I Am Invincible at the top of the table by this time next week, despite his progeny banking a record level of prize-money so far.
However, should one of his two representatives win, he would be well on the way to catching Snitzel’s seasonal record of $27.2 million set in 2017-18. As a means of comparison, Snitzel’s progeny had earned $4.3 million by October 8 of that campaign.
Arrowfield’s Snitzel is having a bit of a renaissance so far this season when it comes to prize-money earned by his progeny. The win of promising filly Makarena at Rosehill on Saturday pushed Snitzel beyond the $3 million mark, just the third time he has passed that milestone by October 8 in his distinguished career. He sits second behind I Am Invincible on the sires’ table in a reprise of the quinella – albeit with the positions reversed – in the 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons.
Coolmore’s So You Think (High Chaparral), second overall behind I Am Invincible in the past two seasons, is currently third but his progeny have earned more to this point of the season – $2.92 million – than they have at the same point in any previous campaign.
Widden’s Zoustar (Northern Meteor) is the leading Australian sire on winners with 49, the most he has ever had by October 8, with his previous high-water mark 40 in 2022-23. With $2.7 million in progeny earnings, it represents his second fastest start to a season on that metric.
Rounding out the top five is Arrowfield’s Dundeel (High Chaparral), who with 35 winners and nearly $2.5 million in progeny earnings already in 2023-24, is tracking at career highs to this point of the season in both categories.
Progeny prize-money record in Australia by October 8 in each season for selected sires
| Season | Snitzel | So You Think | Zoustar | Dundeel |
| 2023/24 | $3,002,274 | $2,921,893 | $2,771,478 | $2,496,834 |
| 2022/23 | $2,939,663 | $2,400,184 | $3,311,569 | $1,866,934 |
| 2021/22 | $3,936,662 | $2,805,345 | $1,956,801 | $1,315,125 |
| 2020/21 | $2,250,790 | $1,905,545 | $1,473,600 | $756,210 |
| 2019/20 | $1,618,410 | $1,595,835 | $2,060,715 | $917,850 |
| 2018/19 | $2,372,180 | $1,210,615 | $857,555 | $244,485 |