The $3million Magic Millions Sunlight slot race at the Gold Coast on Saturday will be watched very closely by the team at Yarraman Park with their homebred I Am Invincible filly Sylph seeking to break her maiden in the lucrative feature, while Hellbent is the sire of one of her archrivals Savvy Hallie.
The Michael Freedman trained Sylph has posted close and frustrating second placings at her past three starts, the last two of those in stakes races won by Grafterburners and Foreign Press, who will both also run in the Sunlight.
With barrier three and Zac Lloyd to ride, Sylph will also have winkers for the first time, which might just give her that length she needs to find on race day and a win will certainly put the spotlight on her yearling full brother to be offered in the Yarraman draft as Lot 617.
Yarraman Park’s Hellbent has had a phenomenal start to the season and sits in eighth place on the Australian General Sires List with 63 winners of $8.2million in prizemoney and one of his stars from the early spring was Savvy Hallie.
The Brad Widdup trained filly won the Group II ATC Silver Shadow Stakes and was then a close third in the Group II ATC Furious Stakes to Apocalyptic, so has a significant class edge over all of her rivals in the Sunlight.
With two barrier trials under her belt and Tommy Berry to ride, Savvy Hallie is the class runner and could well keep the momentum going for Hellbent, who heads to the Magic Millions 2YO Classic next week with a leading fancy in unbeaten colt Zip Lock.
Yarraman Park will present more than 30 yearlings at Magic Millions (Click to see them all) featuring 21 by the farm’s own stallions I Am Invincible, Hellbent and Brave Smash (Jpn) with highlights below:
Lot 65 Filly Hellbent x Aquamosa (NZ), by Alamosa
Three-quarter sister to this season’s G3 MRC Vain Stakes winner Jimmy Recard from G3 placed Aquamosa.
Lot 632 Colt I Am Invincible x Odeum, by Written Tycoon
Second foal of G1 MRC Thousand Guineas winner Odeum, a half-sister to G3 winner Goodfella from the family of G1 winning $3.7million earner Gytrash.
Lot 690 Filly Home Affairs x Precious Memories, by Stratum
From the second crop of I Am Invincible’s champion son Home Affairs, who is already the sire of quality juveniles Kinnaird, I’m Ya Huckleberry, Harvey Wallbanger, Internal Affairs and Guest House, who is bred on the exact same cross as this filly being from a daughter of Stratum.
This filly is a three-quarter sister to stakes-placed Arriving Home and is the fifth foal of stakes-winner Precious Memories, who has had three foals to race and all winners.
Lot 776 Filly I Am Invincible x Scorched Earth, by Nicconi
First foal of multiple Group placed stakes-winner Scorched Earth from the family of G3 winning juvenile Furnaces tracing back to blue hen Summoned. Bred on similar cross to dual G1 winner Magic Time, who is by Hellbent (by I Am Invincible) from a daughter of Nicconi.
Lot 833 Filly Hellbent x Sognani, by Magic Albert
Full sister to G2 ATC Percy Sykes Stakes winner Kristilli from the family of G1 winning $2.6million earner Lady Laguna, who sold for $2.5million at the MM National Broodmare Sale last year. Lady Laguna was covered by Too Darn Hot last spring and Kristilli by Stay Inside so there is plenty of upside for this progressive family.
Lot 902 Colt Brave Smash (Jpn) x Tetusko, by I Am Invincible
From the first crop of Brave Smash yearlings conceived at Yarraman. Half-brother to Group placed Kuroyanagi and Zousuko, plus three more winners and is from G2 placed I Am Invincible mare Tetsuko from the family of Champion South African 2YO Filly Entisaar.
