Super talented I Am Invincible colt King’s Gambit delivered on potential at Rosehill on Saturday zooming up the fence to win the Group II ATC Roman Consul Stakes (1200m) from a wall of pursuers.
A brilliant winner of the Listed MRC Debutant Stakes last spring, King’s Gambit had been placed in every run since then albeit without winning and closed out his juvenile season with a third in the Golden Slipper.
The Peter and Paul Snowden trained colt did plenty wrong when resuming with a third in a Listed race at Flemington last month, but with a recent barrier trial to restore his confidence King’s Gambit produced his A game for Tommy Berry.
Snagged back in the early stages to settle with cover, King’s Gambit obliged and when the field drifted away from the fence after turning for home he was presented with a saloon passage to victory.
King’s Gambit scored by a length and a half in 1.09.16 seconds beating Capitalist colt Mexico and race favourite Ozzmosis, who lost his unbeaten record with a gallant third.
Peter Snowden was a much relieved man to get the valuable colt back into winning form.
“Finally, but I still feel we’ve only seen 50% of what he can do,” said Snowden.
“He still did a few things wrong, but he’s been good all day up until the last 10 minutes when we put the saddle on him and he got a little bit wound up, but he’s getting better and better and that’s the main thing.
“The Coolmore is the race Henry (Field) and the team really want to win. I was a bit sceptical at first when we were down there and it didn’t work, but we might get another run into him and the more racing he has the better he will be and the more relaxed.
“He’s certainly talented and once we get it all worked out you’ll see a really nice horse.”
King’s Gambit was foaled and raised at Newgate Farm as the result of a partnership involving Gooree Stud, Newgate, China Horse Club and associates.
With two wins and four placings from six starts he has won over $750,000 in prizemoney and is the best of three winners from Group III winning Encosta de Lago mare Sultry Feeling, a half-sister to Group III winner Swift Alliance from a US Black Type family. Sultry Feeling has a two year-old filly by Snitzel that was sold by Newgate at Inglis Easter this year for $825,000 to Chris Waller Racing.
Sultry Feeling has a yearling filly by Extreme Choice and is due to foal again to King’s Gambit’s sire I Am Invincible.
Runner-up Mexico was a successful pinhook for Newgate that was purchased by James Harron Colts Partnership for $375,000 at Inglis Classic, while third place-getter Ozzmosis has Newgate and partners in his ownership group.
Another Newgate graduate to impress was blueblood two year-old Zoustar filly Altermatum, who chased home the colts Bodyguard and Cerons to finish third on debut in the Listed VRC Maribyrnong Trial at Flemington. She was a $1,150,000 Magic Millions purchase for McEvoy Mitchell Racing/Belmont Bloodstock Agency and is sadly the only living foal of stakes-placed Fastnet Rock mare Alter Call.
A Newgate graduate herself, Alter Call died prematurely last year and was a sibling to Golden Slipper winner Estijaab and Group III winner Remarque being from dual Group I winning blue hen Response. China Horse Club co-bred Altermatum and have retained an interest in this most valuable of fillies.
Not all Newgate graduates are expensive and bargain priced I Am Invincible colt I Am Unstoppable continues to mix it with the best sprinting three year-olds in Victoria finishing second in the Group II VRC Danehill Stakes at Flemington. Trained by Lloyd Kennewell and Lucy Yeomans, I Am Unstoppable was bought from our Magic Millions draft for just $65,000 and has never missed a place in five starts earning nearly $240,000 in prizemoney.
Bred by Belinda Bateman, I Am Unstoppable is the first foal of Listed ATC Gimcrack Stakes winner Satin Slipper, a blue-blood Pierro mare from Group II winner Satin Shoes, whose dam is Group I winner Star Satire. Newgate Farm sold a Written Tycoon filly from Satin Slipper at Inglis Classic this year for just $100,000 to Kurrinda Bloodstock / Singleton Racing and she has a filly to follow by King’s Legacy and is back in foal to him again.
Also making her presence felt in the Group III ATC The Nivison to finish third was the Lee and Cherie Curtis trained five year-old Flying Artie mare Dalchini, that was foaled and raised at Newgate. She was bought from our Magic Millions draft in 2020 by her trainers for $100,000.
The Newgate Consignment was the leading vendor at the Inglis Chairman’s Sale this year and the jewel in the crown was four time Group I winning mare Montefilia, who was sold to Yulong for $3.4million.
We were delighted to see this outstanding racemare recapture her best form for new trainer Chris Waller to win the $2million Group II ATC Hill Stakes at Rosehill in the Yulong colours. While she is going to be a magnificent broodmare for the farm in the future, this top class daughter of Kermadec may well add another G1 to her CV this season.
