Cover image courtesy of Georgia Young Photography
Vinrock (I Am Invincible), the colt who made history recently with dual Sires’ Produce victories, has been purchased by Yulong and will race in their green and white colours in the future. Yulong announced the purchase on Monday.
“We are extremely excited about the acquisition of Vinrock. He’s an unbeaten 2-year-old, the first Australian Group 1 winner (juvenile) for his Champion Sire I Am Invincible, and the first horse since 1981 to capture the VRC- ATC Sires double, giving him an impressive CV,” said Yulong’s racing manager Troy Stephens. I Am Invincible also sired last season's G1 Manawatu Sires' Produce Stakes winner Move To Strike in New Zealand.
“We have a great association with Matt and Kate, and we are very happy we can continue this off the back of a tremendous season with Treasurethe Moment.” Vinrock will stay with trainer Matt Laurie, who also trains dual Group 1 winner Treasurethe Moment (Alabama Express) for the Victorian farm.
“Yulong have been great to me, and we have already enjoyed huge success on the racecourse together with Treasurethe Moment. I’m delighted with their purchase of Vinrock, he’s a ripping colt and we’re looking forward to an exciting spring,” Laurie said.
A standout from the start
Sold by Rosemont Stud for a relatively inexpensive figure, Vinrock made $300,000 at the Inglis Premier Sale to the bid of trainer Matt Laurie and Wilannah Park Bloodstock, far below the average for I Am Invincible’s yearlings last year at $581,096 (with a median of $500,000).
TTR AusNZ covered his G1 Sires’ Produce victory in a previous edition with a discussion with Yarraman Park Stud’s Harry Mitchell talking about I Am Invincible’s stud career.
Vinrock opened his account with a win at Pakenham on debut in February, following it up with victory in the G2 VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes. He then headed to Sydney to defy history and win the G1 Sires’ Produce Stakes, 44 years after the last horse to achieve the double Full On Aces (Kaoru Star) in 1981. Full On Aces sired seven stakes winners including Group 1 winner King’s High.
Vinrock is currently spelling ahead of the spring, where he’ll rejoin the track as an unbeaten Group 1 winner.
Strong local product attracts Yulong
Vinrock will eventually join the Yulong roster which includes local Group 1 winners Alabama Express, Grunt (NZ), Pierata, and Tagaloa, as well as proven stallion Written Tycoon. They also stand internationally proven racehorses Lucky Vega (Ire), Panthalassa (Jpn), Diatonic (Jpn) and will add More Than Looks (USA) in 2025.
“As a stud farm, that's all you can ask for is your stallions having winners on a Saturday when all eyes are on the racing, particularly in the autumn,” said Yulong’s Harry King.
“The most exciting part for us now is every single stallion we've had on the roster that has had a runner has left a 2-year-old stakes horse in their first crop. For us now talking to breeders, it's giving breeders that confidence that the product that we are marketing and are selling is a product that suits Australian racing.”
“The most exciting part for us now is every single stallion we've had on the roster that has had a runner has left a 2-year-old stakes horse in their first crop.” - Harry King
And Vinrock certainly has a strong local pedigree being by a Champion Sire out of a mare by a Champion Sire.
Kiwi connection with Australian formlines
Fairway Thoroughbreds bred the dam of Vinrock, Girl Gone Rockin’ (Redoute’s Choice), who was purchased by Rosemont Stud as a yearling from Curraghmore’s 2010 New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale draft for NZ$380,000 and she earned $290,000 on the track thanks to four wins including the G2 Matriarch Stakes.
Vinrock | Image courtesy of Sportpix
At stud, she was unlucky with her first two foals being still-born, then she produced Rocky Rogue (Written Tycoon) who has won twice, followed by 4-year-old mare Maisey (Pierro) before missing to Pierro before producing Vinrock as her third live foal. Maisey has won two of her four starts including a last start win at Geelong on April Fools Day this year. Girl Gone Rockin' has a yearling filly by Pierro.
Girl Gone Rockin’ is a half-sister to Australian Group 3 winner and G1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes-placed Syreon (Flying Spur) who earned over $430,000. Their dam, Sorrento (NZ) (Just A Dancer {NZ}) won seven races, five at black type, led by the 2001 G2 Queen of the Turf Stakes before it was upgraded to Group 1 level in 2005.
Sorrento is out of brilliant broodmare Amatrice (NZ) (Beaufort Sea {USA}) who won five races and produced four stakes winners. G2 AJC Frank Packer Plate winner Stargazer (NZ) (Star Way {GB}) was probably her best as he won nine races and was four times Group 1 placed in the G1 Spring Champion Stakes, G1 Castlemaine Stakes, G1 Rosehill Guineas, and G1 George Main Stakes.
Amatrice’s other two stakes winners were both Listed winners who won 11 races each, being Kap The Bid (NZ) (Kaapstad) and Spangles (NZ) (Star Way {GB}). Spangles is the ancestress of several tough gallopers including recent $1 million earner and G2 Percy Sykes Stakes winner Jamaea (Headwater), as well as Jamaea’s dam G3 Bow Mistress Trophy winner Isibaeva (Johannesburg {USA}) who won 11 times, and the family also includes triple Listed winner Dragila (Encosta De Lago) who also won 11 races.
