I Am Invincible has dominated the 2-year-old season in terms of stakes wins, with eight in total, and is poised to break through to sire his first 2-year-old Group 1 winner this weekend.
The four top-flight races run so far this season have been shared between four different sires in Lonhro (Lyre), Sidestep (Kiamichi), Exceed And Excel (Microphone) and Dundeel (NZ) (Castelvecchio).
I Am Invincible's leading 2-year-old performer of the season on stakes, Loving Gaby, was runner-up in both the G1 AJC Sires Produce S. and the G1 Champagne S. It was a similar situation to last season where Oohood was placed in three of the five 2-year-old Group 1s.
On Saturday I Am Invincible has two chances for his progeny to salute, with the well-fancied Strasbourg, who wasn't heading to this race until he won the G2 BRC Sires Produce S. at this track two weeks ago, and Garibaldi, who was a very good third after leading in that same race.
Gallery: chances in the JJ Atkins by I Am Invincible and Snitzel
A victory from either of those runners would give him a ninth stakes winner for the season, surpassing Snitzel's mark of two seasons ago, and mark the most successful 2-year-old season by any sire in recent times. There are a couple of other stakes race opportunities remaining in the season, but this would be the perfect moment to celebrate the milestone.
Aside from Strasbourg and Loving Gaby, I Am Invincible's 2-year-old stakes winners this season have been I Am Immortal, Catch Me, Libertini, Vinicunca, Steal My Kisses and Espaaniyah.
The JJ Atkins is also likely to be decisive in the battle for the race to be crowned the season's Champion 2YO stallion, a title decided by prizemoney.
I Am Invincible holds the upper hand with a lead of just over $310,000 over his great rival Snitzel, but the Arrowfield Champion does have Reloaded in the JJ Atkins and with $360,000 on offer to the winner of the race, could leapfrog I Am Invincible and take the lead for his third straight success.
Both sires are extremely close in terms of overall wins and overall winners, with 18 apiece when it comes to winners and I Am Invincible holding a 24-23 advantage when it comes to total wins.
Gallery: I Am Invincible's 2YO stakes winners for the 2018/19 season
First-season sire Better Than Ready leads the race for the title on overall winners with 19, which is an amazing effort based on a first-season crop of 106 compared to 153 2-year-olds by I Am Invincible and 167 by Snitzel.
For the first time in three seasons, Snitzel is also without a 2-year-old Group 1 winner this season, with his leading contributor the Magic Millions 2YO Classic winner Exhilarates. His three Australian 2-year-old stakes-winners this season have been Bella Rosa, Cheer Leader and Bavella, all at Listed level.
Beau's big chance
The JJ Atkins Plate could provide I Am Invincible's son, Brazen Beau with a career highlight as a stallion should Accession prevail.
It would top off a great 2-year-old season for Godolphin and Darley stallions. As mentioned earlier, Darley stallions have had three of the four 2-year-old Group 1 winners to date and a top-flight winner from another first-season sire would be a huge achievement.
There were high expectations for Brazen Beau's first crop, and he has not disappointed. His four winners to date are highlighted by Accession's win in the RL Inglis Nursery. Tassort, perhaps his best 2-year-old prospect, went amiss ahead of the G1 Golden Slipper S. while Accession has also been twice stakes-placed.
Accession is a chance for Brazen Beau in the JJ Atkins
There are 33 sires to have 2-year-old stakes winners this season, seven of them first-season sires. Better Than Ready (3) and Deep Field (2) are the only sires to have multiples, but neither have runners in the JJ Atkins. Neither does Sidestep, who will win the Champion first-season sires title thanks largely to Kiamichi's win in the Golden Slipper.
Shooting for glory
Shooting To Win is a chance to become stakes-winning sire number 34, with the Chris Waller trained colt Kubrick, who is unbeaten in two starts. He is the best performed of Shooting To Win's six winners to date from his first crop.
Sacred Falls (NZ) and Verrazano (USA) are the other two first-season sires to have a runner in the JJ Atkins, with Champagne Toots and Flybridge respectively.
Fastnet Rock has an excellent chance to sire his first 2-year-old Group 1 winner in Australia since Catchy won the 2017 Blue Diamond S. with the very promising Prince Fawaz, who stormed into contention in this race with a barnstorming recent win at Randwick, defeating Reloaded.
A win would see the Coolmore stallion shoot up to around fifth on the Champion 2YO Sires table, having had 10 winners this season, including the dual stakes-winner Anaheed.
Coolmore barnmate Pierro has a good chance for his first Australian 2-year-old Group 1 winner with the promising Shadow Hero, who became his second stakes-winner of this crop when he won the Listed Phoenix S. last week.
Saturday represents one of the last chances for Stratum to register a second Australian 2-year-old Group 1 winner with Czarson conceded some chance to join Crystal Lily as top-flight juvenile winners by the Widden stallion, who passed away the season after Czarson was conceived. He will have a very small final 2-year-old crop in 2019-20.
Other stallions with runners in the JJ Atkins Plate are Mahisara, Olympic Glory (Ire), Smart Missile, Unencumbered and Shamus Award.
Interestingly, despite the dominance of Snitzel and I Am Invincible in recent times, in the past four seasons, the winners have been well spread.
There have been 19 2-year-old Group 1 races run in Australia over four years, with 17 different stallions represented as winners. Only Snitzel and Written Tycoon have had multiple successes.
