Invincible Fillies Well Worth Watching

Tara Madgwick - Friday July 14

Champion sire I Am Invincible has had 18 two year-old winners this season - six of them are stakes-winners - and two regally bred fillies racing in Sydney and Melbourne on Saturday will be looking to improve his tally.

Pinocchio was a show-stopper for Tyreel Stud at Inglis Easter in 2022.

She’s gorgeous, grey and no stranger to the spotlight having sold for $2million at the 2022 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale and Classique Legend’s half-sister I Am Famous will be looking to shed maiden status in the opening race at Randwick.

Trained by Chris Waller, I Am Famous ran well for third on debut at Warwick Farm last month, but there is considerable optimism in the stable that she can improve with firmer footing a step up to 1400m and the addition of a nose roll.

"She's entitled to improve on a better deck," assistant trainer Charlie Duckworth told Racenet.

"Stepping up from 1200 to 1400m will suit and she should get a lovely run drawn gate seven.

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"It's fair to expect she can make good improvement but she will need to have improved to be able to win a Saturday race at the second time of asking.

"It's not easy for a filly like this to go up against horses that have won races. There's four winners in the race."

I Am Famous has Dylan Gibbons to ride and is drawn in gate seven.

"She's a lovely filly but she is more a three-year-old type rather than your typical jump-and-run two-year-old," Duckworth said.

"If she is able to win on Saturday then look out as a three-year-old."

I Am Famous is a half-sister to not only Everest winner Classique Legend, but also Hong Kong Group winner Aethero being from Pinocchio, a winning full sister to Champion Miler and five time Group I winner Racing to Win.

 

At Flemington, Mick Prince and Michael Kent Jr are ready to take the wraps off Illative, a two year-old half-sister by I Am Invincible to Group I winner Inference, Group II winner Dragon Leap, stakes-winner Illation and to the dam of dual Group I winner Jacquinot.

The seventh foal of outstanding producer Pontiana, she was bred by Lindsay Maxsted and foaled and raised at Coolmore before being retained to race by a partnership.

Illative was withdrawn from Magic Millions and retained to race.

Entered for the open juvenile event over 1000m, Illative has been showing ability in jump outs for some time, but connections have been forced to take their time with immaturity holding the talented filly back from her debut.

This time in work Illative has had two jump-outs, finishing second on June 19 before winning on June 26, but faces a tough task with proven stakes-winning filly Exploring engaged.

"Every time I have got near (to racing) we've had to stop her," Mick Price said this week.

"She has always had shins and knees and fetlocks. The owners have beenreally great, and patient, and she's had six trials for five wins and is ready to go.

"She's a good filly and we now must see it on race day, but I'mnot putting the big boom on her, or anything like that, I'm just saying she has to do it on race day.

"If she 100 per cent hits out, she can win." 

Price knows the family well having prepared her close relation Jacquinot and her half-brother Illation.

 

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