Late on Friday, champion sire I Am Invincible posted his seventh individual million dollar yearling when the Yarraman Park bred and sold filly from Flippant was knocked down at $2million.
She is the second foal of Group III winner and multiple stakes-winner Flippant, the first stakes-winner for her sire Hinchinbrook, who also stood at Yarraman Park before his premature death in 2018.
The glamour filly was bought by US investors Tammy and Richard Rigney and was their second purchase of the sale following on from paying $1.2 million for an I Am Invincible filly from Group II winner Super Too on Wednesday.
“This was one of the first fillies I looked at here on Saturday morning and she just kept getting bigger and stronger all week,” said bloodstock agent John Moynihan acting on their behalf.
“Amazing constitution. A lot of the time they wilter under the pressure here but she just kept going.
“We loved her ‘physical’. Harry (Mitchell) said she’s one of the best fillies he’d ever raised and we put a lot of faith in that.
“We loved the stallion, we love the pedigree and we just hope she can be as good as we think she is.
“I loved Not A Single Doubt. I’m so sorry he’s no longer with us but I also love I Am Invincible. She looked like a great, amazing physical for him.
“And the pedigree, she’s got a great sister coming up who is going to race soon. It just looked like a pedigree that is going to get big.”
Flippant was purchased by McKeever Bloodstock back at the 2014 Magic Millions Yearling Sale from Bell River Thoroughbreds to race for a syndicate headed by Yarraman Park and she proved a gem winning six races and over $655,000 earning a resume bristling with Group and Listed wins and placings.
Her first foal is another I Am Invincible filly called Fickle, that has been retained by Yarraman and partners and is in work with Peter and Paul Snowden. She finished second in her only trial last November and is entered for the Golden Slipper.
Flippant is a half-sister to Group I winner I Am Excited and comes from the family of Group I winners Atlantic Jewel, Commanding Jewel and Russian Emperor. She is married to I Am Invincible and had another filly by him last spring and is back in foal to him again.
The $2million filly will be trained by Peter and Paul Snowden, who achieved Group I success with Moynihan previously with Miracles of Life for US client Barbara Banke of Stonestreet Stables.
“Peter and Paul have done an amazing job. We have a lot of faith in them and hopefully the filly will turn up and be good for them,” Moynihan added.
Tammy and Richard Rigney are heading back to the US tonight and have enjoyed an amazing trip to Australia.
“John was telling us what great racing it is here in Australia for three or four years and has been telling me that I have to come down,” said Richard Rigney.
“During the summer Harry (Mitchell) came to Kentucky so we decided that we were going to come here to Australia and for the sale.
“Earlier this week our daughter got scuba-certified so we went diving with our daughter.
“We’ve had these great experiences and we’ve already named the first filly Invincible Maddison after our daughter was diving for sharks.”
