Mike O’Donnell at Fairhill Farm has seen enough foals to know quality when he sees it.
Fairhill Farm has seen the arrival of two foals in the past few days from the first crop of Leneva Park’s exciting Invincible Spirit sire Royal Meeting (IRE) and they have certainly hit the target.
First to arrive was this lovely bay filly from unraced Commands mare China Road, a half-sister to stakes-placed Bejewelled from the family of Group I winner Ugo Foscolo and Group III winners Alert Me and Techniques.
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And then in the early hours of this morning, winning Stravinsky (USA) mare Flying Strike delivered this colt, who is pictured when just four hours old. He is from a half-sister to stakes-placed Starry Light from the family of Group I winner Bawalaksana and Group III winners Damaschino, Shaaheq, Arbeitsam and Payroll.“We couldn’t be happier with both the filly and colt, who is absolutely outstanding,” said Mike O’Donnell.
“We have two more mares due to foal to Royal Meeting in Rose Red (Spinning World) and Space Trip, a proven stakes producer as the dam of stakes-winner Moss Trip, who sold for $900,000 to Kia Ora Stud at the Magic Millions Broodmare Sale this year.”
Like so many Australian breeders, Mike O’Donnell enjoyed amazing success through the use of I Am Invincible in his early years at stud, notably producing $1.5million earner Fiesta, who won the Darley Princess Series in 2018.
Royal Meeting is by I Am invincible’s sire Invincible Spirit and O’Donnell sees similarities between the two stallions.
“These foals by Royal Meeting remind me greatly of the I Am Invincible foals we had in that first year and both stallions started at the same fee of 11k,” O’Donnell pointed out.
A Group I winning juvenile in France, Royal Meeting stands at Leneva Park at a fee of $11,000.
