Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
A brilliant win on debut in the $250,000 Magic Millions VIC 2YO Classic at Caulfield has filly Invincible Woman (I Am Invincible) vying for favouritism for the upcoming R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic. Owned by an all-female syndicate, they are in line for the Magic Millions Racing Women's Bonus.
Bred by Killora Stud and raised at Widden Stud, Invincible Woman begins her story with a connection to R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic winner Away Game (Snitzel).
Away Game started it all
“I worked for Ciaron Maher and David Eustace after I finished college,” said Killora Stud’s Hannah Jennings. Jennings worked for the Maher Eustace stable in a communications and sales role under her maiden name, Hannah Mathiesen.
“When I was there, we bought Away Game,” she explains.
Away Game was sold at the 2019 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale by Mill Park Stud and bought by Kerri Radcliffe Bloodstock for $425,000. Trained by Maher and Eustace, she ran fourth on debut, then won the Listed Calway Gal S. before winning the R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic at just her third start. She franked the form, winning the G3 Widden S. at her next start.
Away Game and Hannah Jennings | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Fourth in the G1 Blue Diamond S., and second in the G1 Golden Slipper, Away Game won the G2 Percy Sykes S. and finished her juvenile season with a run in the G1 Robert Sangster S. against the older horses. She ran fifth carrying only 47 kg, a massive effort at the end of a long season.
Back at three, she ran in five stakes races, placing four times including in the R. Listed Magic Millions Guineas before she won the G3 WJ Healy S. At four she placed in both the G1 Robert Sangster S. and G1 Oakleigh Plate, retiring with five wins from 26 starts and earnings over $3.7 million.
One good horse can change your address
The prizemoney from the R. Listed Magic Millions win by Away Game played a part in Killora Stud’s next step. Hannah Jennings, and her husband Aidan, own Killora Stud in Kentucky. They started out doing pinhooks for the yearling sales, and now breed several mares.
Hannah and Aidan Jennings | Image supplied
“After Away Game won the Magic Millions, we bought a farm in Kentucky, and we’ve been buying pinhooks by proven sires and mares with stakes class or from top families. We bought a second farm a few months ago.”
Killora Stud also owned shares in Fake Love (I Am Invincible), also trained by Maher and Eustace, who won the Listed Debutant S. on debut.
“After Away Game won the Magic Millions, we bought a farm in Kentucky... We bought a second farm a few months ago.” - Hannah Jennings
Away Game’s sale led to more purchases
Away Game was sold through Newgate Farm at the 2022 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale for $4 million to Yulong.
Showcase (Big Brown {USA}) cost $250,000 at the 2022 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale, sold by Widden Stud, in foal to I Am Invincible whose fee that covering season was $247,500 inc GST.
“When we sold Away Game, that was the same sale we bought Showcase. She had a good pedigree and was a good racehorse herself. We had had some luck with Fake Love and we thought it was good value to buy Showcase at the stud fee,” said Jennings.
Showcase | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
“We actually bought two mares at that sale and brought the other back home. Catch A Fire has gone to Nyquist.”
G2 Angus Armanasco S. winner Catch A Fire (Sebring) cost $150,000 from the draft of Coolmore Stud, and her first three foals are winners. She was bought empty and travelled to America.
Catch A Fire | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Home-grown success for Killora Stud
Killora Stud had a cool achievement with their 2021 crop of foals recently when two of the five fillies raced against each other in the Listed Seneca S. in September this year, and Miss Justify (USA) (Justify {USA}) won.
“That year, we had only five fillies on the farm, and two of them ran against each other in a stakes races this year at three. We are trying to do it the right way, giving them plenty of time outside. You have to make the best decisions and hope for the best.”
Invincible Woman as a yearling
Invincible Woman was passed in at the Magic Millions Gold Coast sale and purchased outside the sale ring later that day by Kennewell Racing, Race with Lizzie, and Group 1 Bloodstock (FBAA) for $250,000.
“The sale met her at the wrong time, she was a lovely foal but was a bit backwards at the sale. We didn’t expect her to get to the races so early and so she has a lot of improvement in her,” said Jennings.
“... she (Invincible Woman) was a lovely foal but was a bit backwards at the sale. We didn’t expect her to get to the races so early and so she has a lot of improvement in her.” - Hannah Jennings
“Widden is great with their communications, and we got lots of videos and photos of her but never got to see her. It was too hard to be that far away, we’d just bought a farm here and had to dedicate our resources. We sold Showcase this year as we wanted to focus on our operation here, we needed to consolidate, but we got to keep a piece of Invincible Woman.”
Showcase was sold at the 2024 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale, via Widden Stud, for $45,000 in foal to In The Congo, and buyers The Officiating Syndicate have likely picked up a bargain. She missed to Stay Inside the year before being sold and so doesn’t have a yearling for the 2025 sales.
“Aidan, my husband and I, we are super hands on, so it’s hard to be so far away. We love Australian racing and we love to be involved, so Invincible Woman gives us a way to do so.
Gallery: Invincible Woman as a foal and weanling
“Away Game was five years ago, and so it’s crazy to see that so much has changed since then and we are also lucky enough to hopefully be going to get back there.
“I was looking at the flights today (to the Gold Coast), so will try to get there. Away Game’s foal is selling too. She was beyond special. It will be great to see her foal. I feel like a proud mum, even though we sold her. I was worried I didn’t have a reason to come, but now I do.
“Fake Love was scratched from the Magic Millions race the night before, and her first foal is selling at Magic Millions too.”
Away Game’s Written Tycoon filly will be offered by Yulong Stud as Lot 185 at the 2025 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. The filly is her first foal.
Fake Love’s Toronado (Ire) colt was sold by Vinery Stud at the Magic Millions Weanling Sale for $130,000 to BSA Bloodstock and will be offered as Lot 385 by Willow Park Stud. Fake Love is a daughter of dual Listed winner Anatina (Fastnet Rock) who placed in the G1 Galaxy H.
Widden’s involvement with Invincible Woman
Widden Stud looked after Showcase and her I Am Invincible foal for Killora Stud, and took Invincible Woman to the Gold Coast as part of their 2024 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale draft. She sold for $250,000 which was equivalent to I Am Invincible’s service fee, and the same figure that Killora Stud bought Showcase for.
“She was a lovely foal. Very much in the mould of I Am Invincible,” said Widden’s Matt Comerford.
“The mare herself was a good attractive mare, and Invincible Woman was a nice type of foal from the get go. She continued that all the way through, a typical early running Vinnie filly, and that’s why we took her to the Gold Coast.
“The dam had already produced a stakes horse, and it’s a family of good fast horses. I’m not sure why she wasn’t popular. Maybe the Big Brown factor was a hindrance, and maybe some buyers thought it was an over-mating?”
“Invincible Woman was a nice type of foal from the get go. The dam had already produced a stakes horse, and it’s a family of good fast horses. I’m not sure why she wasn’t popular.” - Matt Comerford
Showcase won her first two races, as a 3-year-old, in Western Australia and placed in both the Listed WATC Challenge S. and Listed Starstruck Classic. She concluded her career as the stakes placed winner of four races and over $200,000.
Her first foal, 4-year-old gelding Ambassadorial (Fiorente {Ire}), has won three times for Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott and ran in stakes class twice at three last season. Lindsay Park trained Showcase’s 3-year-old gelding The Showvinist (I Am Invincible) who has won three of his six starts and ran in the Listed Poseidon S. last start.
Showcase is a half-sister to Disposition (Reset) who won seven races in Perth including five at stakes level and placed in the G1 Kingstown Town Classic, G1 Toorak H. and G1 Sir Rupert Clarke S. with earnings over $1 million. Her second dam is G1 Goodwood H. winner Spectrum (Old Spice), dam of Group 3 winner Local Legend (Rory's Jester).
“We had 7 or 8 veterinary hits on her, and I thought she was going pretty well. Star Thoroughbreds bought the lot before her in the ring, and Lloyd and Lucy had been around her the whole time. We passed her in and Hannah wouldn’t budge from reserve of 250, and then when Hannah was keen to stay in her, that helped get the sale over the line. It’s just how it goes, sometimes.
Matt Comerford
“She was always a nice filly. We were a little bit disappointed on the overall price, and fair play to Lloyd and Lucy for getting in there and buying her. It’s a big task for a Melbourne filly to go north to the Magic Millions, although Sunlight did it.”
Widden’s strike rate with the Magic Millions Series
Widden Stud have won the R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic with three of their yearling graduates being Sunlight (Zoustar), Le Chef (Exceed And Excel), and Driefontein (Fastnet Rock).
“Widden has an unbelievable strike rate with the Magic Millions series of races. Since 2010, we’ve had 14 winners across the whole series and yesterday had two with Invincible Woman winning the Victorian 2-year-old race and Yes Lulu winning the Victorian three and 4-year-old race,” said Comerford.
“Widden has an unbelievable strike rate with the Magic Millions series of races. Since 2010, we’ve had 14 winners across the whole series...” - Matt Comerford
“Yes Lulu was a pinhook, so we don’t have a yearling from that mare this year. She was pinhooked by Redwall who also pinhooked King Kirk and Group 1 placed Firm Agreement. This year, they have a Pierata filly in our draft who is a lovely type.”
Widden Stud are bringing a massive consignment of 71 yearlings to the 2025 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. Lot 92, Redwall’s Pierata filly is out of five-time winner Whitten’s Delight (Barely A Moment) who is a proven broodmare with four foals to race, all winners including Street Delight (Street Boss {USA}) who ran fourth in the G3 SAJC Breeders S.
“We don’t have any connection with Showcase anymore, unfortunately, but we do have an I Am Invincible colt in this year’s draft. He’s a typical Vinnie, a strong strapping colt.”
Lot 729, Widden’s I Am Invincible colt is the third foal of dual Listed winner at two Nomothaj (Snitzel) whose first foal 4-year-old gelding Nazorian (Exceed And Excel) has won four races including a Brisbane 2-year-old race at only his second start. Nazorian’s full sister Superliv is an unraced 2-year-old.
