Lloyd Kennewell is not one to shy away from the spotlight, particularly with a horse that shows exceptional promise, but for Invincible Woman’s Magic Millions campaign, he has taken a step back. Instead, the Cranbourne-based trainer has allowed Lucy Yeomans to take center stage with the talented daughter of I Am Invincible, the current favourite for Saturday’s $3 million Magic Millions 2YO Classic.
Yeomans, who has been Kennewell’s co-trainer since the start of last season, also holds part-ownership of Invincible Woman. The filly was among the first purchases they made together at last year’s Gold Coast Yearling Sale, marking an important milestone in their partnership.
The ownership group includes Lizzie Jelfs’ Race With Lizzie syndicate, making Invincible Woman eligible for the $500,000 Women In Racing bonus on top of the $1.74 million winner’s prize. Yeomans is thrilled to be part of this unique opportunity, even if she prefers to stay out of the limelight.
“Being an all-female group, I’m getting a fair bit of attention, which, if you know me, I’d rather be behind the scenes,” Yeomans shared. “It’s a credit to Lloyd, Lizzie, all the women (involved), and the team at home.
“Being a female trainer and having worked my way up in a male-dominated industry, I think it’s important that women are supported, and it’s great to be here with a female-owned horse with the bonus provided.”
The Women In Racing bonus is exclusively available to horses with all-female ownership groups, adding another layer of excitement to Invincible Woman’s campaign.
The filly, a $250,000 purchase from Widden Stud’s draft, is out of the Big Brown mare Showcase, a granddaughter of Group 1 winner Spectrum. Her race debut was an impressive 2-3/4-length victory in the Magic Millions Victorian Classic at Caulfield on December 14. Following this win, she traveled to Queensland, where she recorded a comfortable victory in an 800m trial at the Gold Coast on New Year’s Eve.
Invincible Woman aims to make history by becoming the first horse to win the Magic Millions 2YO Classic after having their final lead-up run in Victoria since the race abandoned gender-specific divisions in 1992. She also seeks to become the first horse to win the race at just their second career start.
“Lucky I’m not a believer in stats,” Yeomans remarked, referencing the historical challenges. “Coming from Melbourne apparently is not likely, and a horse has never won their second start, but she’s in very good order.
“We brought her up here very early, we trialled her going the Queensland way on the Gold Coast track, and she’s thriving. She was broken in up here, so she’s very used to going Queensland way.
“Whether she beat much in the trial, possibly not, but she ran a quicker time than the three-year-old trial, so her time was good, and she pulled up well. We’re very happy.”
Invincible Woman is one of three horses in this year’s field that has raced only once. Joining her in the quest for history are debut winners Vein Girl and first emergency Space Rider.
