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| Sumita Pawar |
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Yarraman Park has decided to reduce the service fee of the two-time reigning champion stallion I Am Invincible, who has been a commercial gold mine for 14 seasons at stud in the Hunter Valley. The joint principals of Yarraman Park, brothers Arthur and Harry Mitchell, have set I Am Invincible's service fee at AU$275,000, down from its 2023 peak of AU$302,500, despite another outstanding season on the racetrack and in the sales ring.
I Am Invincible's son Hellbent, who is the sire of this season's Gr.1 Sir Rupert Clarke and Gr.1 All Aged Stakes winner Magic Time, will maintain his 2023 service fee of $38,500 as he moves towards a top 10 position on the Australian general sires' table, making him the highest-placed third season stallion on the premiership. Brave Smash, the roster mate of I Am Invincible, remains at an unchanged fee of $33,000 with his first crop. It includes the Group Two winner and multiple Group One placed filly Kimochi, who will soon turn 4.
As the Mitchells announce their fees for their trio of sires with three months of the racing season still to run, the Yarraman Park kingpin I Am Invincible, a son of Invincible Spirit – Cannarelle by Canny Lad, is just AU$200,000 away from Snitzel's all-time progeny earnings record of $29,243,613, achieved in season 2017-18, the year of the first of Redzel's back-to-back Everest (1,200m) victories. I Am Invincible is a runaway premiership leader as he moves towards his third straight champion sires' title.
This season has been remarkable for I Am Invincible, who has sired his first 2YO Group one winner. Highly promising Te Akau-owned colt Move To Strike took out the Gr.1 Manawatu Sires' Produce Stakes in New Zealand. Meanwhile, stablemate Imperatriz has won the Gr.1 AJ Moir Stakes, the Gr.1 Manikato Stakes, Gr.1 Champions Sprint, the Gr.1 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes, and Gr.1 William Reid Stakes this season, taking her record to a stunning 10 Group one wins.
Arthur Mitchell said they "didn't need to bring it back, but we thought we would" of I Am Invincible's 2024 fee.
"He's still got the numbers around him to keep him ticking over ... and we thought AU$250,000 [plus GST] was pretty fair," Mitchell told ANZ Bloodstock News.
"The interesting thing is, and I didn't really take much notice of it, but he was runner-up four times before he won his first [champion sires' title] and he got beaten twice I think on prize money when Redzel won The Everest. So, I think he's doing a pretty amazing job.
"We won't be overtaxing him, but we'd like to keep him working away consistently without pushing him too hard.
"He looks like a 12- or 14YO, that's what he looks like, so he still looks fabulous."
In his 14th season at stud, I Am Invincible, now 20YO, covered 157 mares last year at a career-high fee. This season, he has produced 16 stakes winners.