Maher strengthens Cressfield connection
Photo attached. Caption: The I Am Invincible half-brother to Cellsabeel. Image: Inglis
Ciaron Maher emphatically declared his appreciated for New South Wales breeding operation Cressfield when he set a new mark for the top lot of this year's Inglis Easter Yearling Sale.
The Victorian trainer paid $1.5 million for a colt by I Am Invincible from Group 3 winner Egyptian Symbol, who is a half-sister to Maher's one-time Golden Slipper favourite Cellsabeel.
Cressfield, which is in Scone, also sold Cellsabeel and Maher's bloodstock manager Will Bourne said that played a key role in his determination to buy the colt.
"Ciaron really likes the farm, they're a nursery of champions and three years ago he purchased Cellsabeel off the same farm," Bourne said.
"She had a ton of ability, she was the favourite for a long time for the Slipper, and Ciaron had that in the back of his mind, but along with that he was a lovely animal.
"The way he drove behind with his hocks and that deep girth just really took his eye. That's exactly what Ciaron looks for in a horse."
His purchase price was $100,000 than the previous top lot to that point of the sale, the colt by Snitzel who sold to Coolmore for $1.4 million.
Egyptian Symbol is by Stratum out of Our Egyptian Raine (Desert Sun), who won the Group 1 Railway Handicap (1200m) in New Zealand and was placed nine times at the top level in Australia.
The I Am Invincible colt is the first foal from Egyptian Symbol and Bourne said the fact Maher did not have buyers for him pre-sale was a good indication of how highly he rated him.
"You wouldn't know he's a first foal just looking at him," he said. "He's got plenty of size, plenty of substance and we couldn't fault him.
"Ciaron thought he was the colt of the sale. It's quite obvious (he likes one) when Ciaron doesn't have an owner for it and goes to 1.5 million on it.
"He's not afraid to put his neck on the line and he has done on this colt and that reflects how big an opinion he had of the colt."
