Cover image courtesy of Inglis
Inglis continues to build a stellar line-up for The Chairman’s Sale in May, with Group 2 winners Chayan (I Am Invincible) and Philia (All Too Hard) heading the latest addition of recruits.
A unique opportunity
Few offerings in recent memory have combined racetrack performance and future upside quite like Chayan, the star 2-year-old trained by Rob and Annabel Archibald and offered by Newgate Farm.
A Group 2 winner just two starts ago, the filly most recently lined up as favourite in the G1 Golden Slipper, finishing eighth in a race where she was beaten only four lengths.
With just four starts to her name, Chayan’s profile is built on both performance and potential. Her commanding three-length victory in the G2 Reisling Stakes at Rosehill last month was one of the most authoritative 2-year-old displays of the season and quickly elevated her standing among leading juveniles.
Chayan | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
That performance saw her installed as Golden Slipper favourite, underlining the regard in which she is held.
Earlier in her career, she made an immediate impression when runner-up in the G2 Blue Diamond Prelude behind subsequent G1 winner Streisand (Magnus), before again showing her quality in the G1 Blue Diamond when beaten just two lengths after covering additional ground throughout.
Chayan will be offered by owner Eric Koh through the Newgate Consignment at The Chairman’s Sale as a racing and breeding prospect.
A special filly
Purchased for $250,000 by Eric Koh and Falcon Racing from the Longwood Thoroughbred Farm draft at the 2025 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Chayan has continued to justify that early investment at every stage.
Eric Koh | Image courtesy of Selangor Turf Club
Koh’s opinion of the filly is clear, describing her simply as “a special filly’’.
“She’s very focused, she’s very talented and she just keeps improving, she is a special filly that has her entire racing and breeding career ahead of her,’’ Koh said.
“She (Chayan) is a special filly that has her entire racing and breeding career ahead of her.’’ - Eric Koh
“Her win in the Reisling was ultra impressive, she was eased down in the closing stages and the fact James McDonald chased us for the ride is a strong indication of just how good this filly is, if the World’s Best Jockey wanted to be part of her journey from so early on.
“The authority with which she won that day showed just how good she is. She then started favourite in the Golden Slipper but things just didn’t pan out for her and she was still only beaten 4 lengths.
“She has so much potential and has only just started out, she’s already proven at Group 2 level, she’s a very good type and has so much upside, being a daughter of I Am Invincible.’’
Chayan as a yearling | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Koh said growing interest from multiple parties ultimately led to the decision to offer her publicly:
“I’ve been receiving several calls from interested parties wanting to buy her and then (Inglis’ International Business Development Manager) Nicky Wong rang and said he and the Inglis team had had a meeting and felt Chayan would be very popular if she was entered at The Chairman’s Sale and that got me thinking that it might be the fairest way to sell her so I don’t disappoint anyone by saying no to their offer.
“I’ve been to a Chairman’s Sale before and it’s such a classy event, very reputable and one of the best sales in the world.’’
A pedigree with quality
Chayan is out of the G3 Tesio Stakes and Listed Mona Lisa Stakes winner Lubiton (Snitzel), whose producing record stands at four runners for four winners. The depth extends to her third dam Camino Rose (Sea Road), a G1 Coolmore Classic winner who also secured two additional Group victories.
Lubiton | Image courtesy of Inglis
The cross of two of Australia’s Champion stallions I Am Invincible over Snitzel mares is reflected in strong statistical performance, returning an 82% winners-to-runners strike rate and 5.1% stakes-winners to runners, adding further commercial appeal.
Philia and her outstanding page and performance
Philia (All Too Hard) adds further strength to the supplementary entries, bringing both black type performance and a proven, top-class pedigree.
A winner of the G2 The Doomben Roses and the Listed Princess Stakes on the track, she is out of the Johannesburg (USA) mare Meerlust, now firmly established as a high-quality broodmare.
Philia | Image courtesy of Trackside Photography
Her progeny includes six winners, most notably Duais (Shamus Award), whose seven-win career featured victories in the G1 Australian Cup, G1 Tancred Stakes and G1 Queensland Oaks, along with Baccarat Baby (Casino Prince), an eight-time winner at Group 3 and Listed level, combined with Philia she has left three individual Group winners.
A very talented 3-year-old filly
Philia’s racetrack record was highlighted by a sequence of four consecutive wins leading into and through the Brisbane Winter Carnival, culminating in a decisive performance in the G2 The Roses at Doomben.
As a 3-year-old filly she defeated the talented types such as You Wahng (So You Think {NZ}), Verona Rose (Castelvecchio), Benagil (Manhattan Rain) and Polymnia (Dundeel {NZ}), reinforcing her credentials at stakes level.
She will be offered as part of the Widden Stud draft.
Antony Thompson | Image courtesy of Inglis
“Philia possess all the attributes breeders are looking for in an elite broodmare prospect,’’ Widden Stud’s Antony Thompson said.
“Philia possess all the attributes breeders are looking for in an elite broodmare prospect.’’ - Antony Thompson
“We raised her at Widden, so we know her and the whole family well. Each and every year Meerlust breeds good looking foals and Philia is no exception, she is a very good sort.
“It’s a very active family, as we saw with Baccarat Baby’s Toronado 2-year-old achieving the highest price of the breeze-up sale season at $900,000 and he is now in training with Chris Waller and well regarded by all accounts.
“The first foal of another half-sister, Amiche, was bought by Waterhouse/Bott at the Easter Sale last week, so there is plenty happening and a lot more to come I would expect.”
Inglis pleased with the new additions
Inglis Bloodstock Sales Manager Harry Bailey said securing both fillies represented a significant boost to an already strong catalogue.
“It is so incredibly rare that a filly the quality of Chayan gets offered at public auction at this stage of her career and she represents an opportunity that is pretty unprecedented in terms of recent Australian auction history,” Bailey said.
Harry Bailey | Image courtesy of Inglis
“I believe she was the highest-rated 2YO in Australia in the eyes of some analysts following her Reisling win and it’s hard not to think that all her best racing is in front of her.
“We have had our eye on Philia for a long time and to be honest were resigned to the fact that we wouldn’t be able to get her, but all’s well that ends well and she is another great addition to what is already a very appealing catalogue.
“I am very hopeful that the sale already contains a high proportion of the best fillies and mares that will be offered to market this year and we are working hard to strengthen the catalogue further before it is finalised later this month.’’
“I am very hopeful that the sale already contains a high proportion of the best fillies and mares that will be offered to market this year and we are working hard to strengthen the catalogue further.’’ - Harry Bailey
Chayan and Philia further enhance what is shaping as a high-quality offering of fillies and mares for The Chairman’s Sale on May 7.
