Champion sire I Am Invincible has a growing number of sons at stud and one of them is Santos, who was relocated from Aquis to Highview Stud in New Zealand earlier this year and sired his first Australian stakes-winner on Saturday at Doomben when West of Dalby won the $160,000 Listed BRC Mode Stakes (1200m).
Trained at Kembla by Benjamin Smith, West of Dalby was a good fifth at Flemington on Melbourne Cup Day in a tough three year-old race over 1000m and then had a win and a second at her home track of Kembla before being sent to Queensland.
West of Dalby chimed in with a good run for Brock Ryan and surged clear to win by a length.
With three wins from seven starts and prizemoney topping $172,000, West of Dalby looks to have more wins in store.
Bred by Aquis, she was sold as a weanling in the Segenhoe draft at Magic Millions National for $55,000 to Valencia Park and then made $115,000 at Inglis Classic for Bhima Thoroughbreds when bought by ML Racing.
West of Dalby is a half-sister to Group III placed Lanigera and is the best of seven winners from seven to race from stakes-winning Exceed and Excel mare Chinchilla, who was on-sold in 2021 at the Magic Millions National Sale fetching $60,000 when bought by Merricks Station Pty Ltd/Group 1 Bloodstock Pty Ltd.
She produced another colt by Santos subsequently that was sold at Magic Millions this year for $100,000 to Anthony Freedman Racing/Julian Blaxland Bloodstock and has a yearling colt by Pierro.
West of Dalby is the second stakes-winner for Santos following on from his Kiwi Group I winner Ulanova and is his first in Australia.
Santos stands at Highview Stud at a fee of $7,500.
