Hellbent has made a solid start to the new season with 25 winners racking up over $2million in earnings and he will have a runner in the $20million The Everest in two weeks time with Magic Time confirmed for the Inglis slot, while at Randwick last Saturday he added another G1 performer to his tally.
The $1.5million Group I ATC Epsom Handicap had a red hot favourite in Autumn Glow, who duly got the cash in a brilliant performance, but running a career best for a gallant second placing was Hellbent’s talented four year-old gelding Fully Lit.
Sent forward by Winona Costin, the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott trained Fully Lit gave his big team of owners a massive thrill when holding off all challengers bar the favourite to hang on for second.
Fully Lit won the $2million Inglis Millennium as a juvenile at his second start and has taken a while to recapture his best form, but recent placings in strong company indicated he was ready to produce something special.
Winona Costin was thrilled with the way the race unfolded.
“It was a fantastic run. He jumped nicely and was able to control the race. He gave a really good sight,” she said.
Fully Lit was a $60,000 Inglis Classic purchase for Red Fox Racing from the Glenlogan Park draft and has won over $1.8million for his owners.
The Waterhouse Bott stable produced another promising Hellbent youngster in Revengeance, who kicked off his career with a late surging run into third place in the Group III ATC Breeders Plate.
Josh Parr had the ride on Revengeance, who looks to have a bright future for his Darby Racing owners.
“He is a lovely horse. Just raced greenly, but the last section of the race was really strong from him,” Parr said.
Hellbent is covering a full book this spring at a fee of $38,500 and is a proven G1 producing son of champion sire I Am Invincible, who was also putting his stamp on the weekend’s racing as both a sire of sires and as a broodmare sire.
His sire son I Am Immortal produced McGaw to win the Group II VRC Danehill Stakes at the expense of his flying grey daughter My Gladiola, who was a close second, while his highly rated young gun sire son Home Affairs had I’m Ya Huckleberry finish second in the Group III ATC Breeders Plate.
Broodmares by I Am Invincible were also in the frame for producing Australia’s globe-trotting sprint queen Asfoora, who claimed her third G1 in the Group I Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp (1000m) at Longchamp.
Closer to home and $1million yearling purchase Incognito won the Group III ATC Breeders Plate on debut and is the first stakes-winner for both his Golden Slipper winning sire Stay Inside and his I Am Invincible dam Bleu Zebra.
All three place-getters in the Breeders Plate had a connection to I Am Invincible, the winner from one of his daughters and the second and third by his sire sons.
Priced at $220,000 this spring, I Am Invincible has taken an early lead on the Australian General Sires List with 41 winners (four SW’s) of $3.5million.
