Yarraman Park’s champion sire I Am Invincible had his usual good Saturday with four Australian winners including a Rosehill double for Garrison and Attractable, but the best was still to come with the Yulong bred and raced three year-old filly Lady Hamana winning the Listed Scurry Stakes (5f) at Sandown in the UK overnight.
Bred in Australia to Northern Hemisphere time, Lady Hamana was sent to the UK last year to be trained by Karl Burke and had five starts at two for a win and then some competitive efforts in Group and Listed races albeit without placing.
Fifth in stakes races at her first two starts this year , she appreciated a little freshen up and drop to 5f to return to winning form with a fast finishing length and a quarter victory with Clifford Lee in the saddle.
“I was praying for that gap. I was always locked on the rail. I tried to get off it early doors to sit on the girth of the leader but the lads squeezed me back in a bit, but when the gap appeared Lady Hamana really picked up. She enjoyed the first-time cheekpieces and they woke her up a bit, but I was surprised because at one stage I had five lengths to make up,” Clifford Lee said.
“Who knows where she can end up now she's got a bit of confidence.”
Lady Hamana is the second foal and first winner for Lake Hamana (GB), an unraced half-sister by Shamardal to Group I winner Sobetsu from the family of Group I winning Japanese sprinter Tower of London. Her third dam Shinko Hermes is a sibling to Epsom Derby winner and Champion 3YO Generous and Epsom Oaks winner and blue hen Imagine, so Lady Hamana is a very valuable filly for Yulong.
Lake Hamana was bred and raced by Darley and bought by Sheamus Mills Bloodstock/ Yulong for 210,000 guineas at the 2016 Tattersalls July Mixed Sale. Her first foal by Frankel was sold by Yulong for $500,000 at the 2020 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale and has been placed in Japan.
Lake Hamana has a yearling filly by Too Darn Hot (GB) that was also sold by Yulong fetching $80,000 at Inglis Premier this year to the bid of Matt Laurie Racing and has a weanling filly to follow by Tagaloa.
Bred on the same cross as five time Group I winner Imperatriz, Lady Hamana is the 95th stakes-winner for I Am Invincible and is his first in the UK.
