I Am Invincible earns fee increase after record-equalling year

Yarraman Park Stud sire I Am Invincible will stand for an increased fee of A$247,500 (£134,500/€155,800; all fees inc GST) in 2019, making him the most expensive advertised sire in Australia.

The son of Invincible Spirit is currently enjoying a red-letter year with his progeny, having recently equalled the record set by Danehill and his grandson Snitzel for the most stakes winners (26) in a single season.

I Am Invincible looks poised to break that record with over three months left of the current campaign, while he also sits top of the leading sires’ table by winners, with 152 successes to his name.

The remarkable rise of Yarraman’s flagship sire is no better illustrated than through a look at his fee history, with the now 14-year-old standing his first four seasons for a fee of A$11,000.

His current crop of three-year-olds, who took out three of the four races in the fillies’ Princess Series, were conceived off a fee of just A$27,500.

"Vinnie has had another remarkable season and we are extremely grateful to all the breeders who have continued to support him," Yarraman Park co-principal Arthur Mitchell said.

"He already has an outstanding group of mares booked to him this season and we are looking forward to this year's crop of foals.”

I Am Invincible stood for A$192,500 in 2018 and although a Group 1 juvenile winner still eludes him, the stallion has enjoyed great success with this year’s crop of two-year-olds, spearheaded by the ultra-consistent Loving Gaby, who has finished runner-up in both the Inglis Sires’ and the Champagne Stakes.

The success of I Am Invincible on the track has been reflected in the sales ring this year, with seven of his yearlings fetching in excess of A$1 million, helping to achieve an average of A$410,962 across all sales.

The 2019 fee of A$247,500 sees I Am Invincible overtake Snitzel as the most expensive advertised sire in Australia, with the Arrowfield-based stallion standing for an unchanged fee of A$220,000 for the forthcoming breeding season.

Standing alongside I Am Invincible on the Yarraman Park roster will be his Group 1-winning son Hellbent, whose introductory fee of A$27,500 will remain the same for 2019.

The six-year-old retired to stud last year after landing the William Reid Stakes and he covered 182 mares in his first season in the breeding barn.

"Hellbent covered a superb book of mares last year in his first season at Yarraman and we and his syndicate will continue to support him strongly again this year," Yarraman Park co-principal Harry Mitchell said.

"We are eagerly awaiting the arrival of his first crop of foals and are absolutely confident they will meet all expectations."

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