KITTY Rose has given her sire, Invincible Army (Invincible Spirit), a magic start to his stud career.

She is one of eight winners for the Yeomanstown Stud stallion, and his first stakes winner.

A 20,000gns yearling purchase by Rodrigo Goncalves, Kitty Rose made it two wins from as many starts in Saturday’s Listed Ballylinch Stud Irish EBF Ingabelle Stakes at Leopardstown. In a nine-strong field, and with two furlongs left to race, Kitty Rose was asked for her effort, and she kicked clear inside the final furlong to win by two and a half lengths in impressive style. Aidan O’Brien’s Content held on for second, half a length ahead of the Ger Lyons-trained Serious Notions in third.

Trained by Natalia Lupini in Co Down, Kitty Rose won on her debut as Naas two weeks earlier when she beat a 16-strong field. She is certainly a filly on the upgrade. “She’s a big filly, very honest, and when she gets into a rhythm she gallops towards the line. She gives it her all,” said Lupini. “We always thought we had a nice filly on our hands. Obviously, first time out, you hope everything goes well. We were hoping for a nice run, but she won impressively at Naas and today again she was very impressive. When she picks up she just keeps galloping. She’s very, very honest. The lads are looking at the Guineas next year. She’ll be a stronger filly and she won’t have any problems over a mile.”

White House

Kitty Rose was bred by the Morgans at Carmel Stud near Bath, and is owned by Nigel O’Hare, Gary Devlin and Kabin Racing Syndicate. She is one of four winners from as many runners out of the Choisir (Danehill Dancer) mare Varnish, who won twice over middle distances for Richard Hannon. Varnish is a granddaughter of White House (Pursuit Of Love), and that mare’s daughter Eldalil (Singspiel) was runner-up in the Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes, while her grandson is the Group 1-placed pattern winner Cappella Sansevero (Showcasing).

For more on this female family, see the article on these pages about Fallen Angel.

Invincible Army is by a renowned sire of successful stallions, out of a Group 1-winning mare, and had a racing career that brought him pattern success in each of three seasons. He was short-headed by future Derby hero Masar on his debut over six furlongs at Goodwood, ran away with a novice race at Newmarket a month later, and went on to win the Group 3 Sirenia Stakes at Kempton. He chased home James Garfield in the Group 2 Mill Reef Stakes, Sands Of Mali in the Group 2 Gimcrack Stakes and Havana Grey in the Group 3 Molecomb Stakes, all notable winners and now at stud.

Top form

At three, Invincible Army beat the future Group 1-scorer Eqtidaar in the Group 3 Pavilion Stakes at Ascot before being short-headed by Sands Of Mali in the Group 2 Sandy Lane Stakes at Haydock, from just four runs, and he came back in top form the following year. He was third to Fairyland in the Group 1 Flying Five and fourth to Glass Slippers in the Group 1 Prix de l’Abbaye, while winning three other races by an aggregate margin of six and a half lengths.

In the first of these he landed the Listed Cammidge Trophy Stakes at Doncaster, then won the Group 2 Duke of York Stakes, and finally was successful in Newcastle’s Group 3 Chipchase Stakes.

A stallion career was inevitable. He is, as you might expect, a son of the Irish National Stud’s leading international sire Invincible Spirit (Green Desert), the Group 1-winning sprinter who has supplied 148 stakes winners so far, of whom 22 have scored at least once at the highest level.

Invincible Army is out of the Group 1 Falmouth Stakes winner Rajeem (Diktat), and her dam is a full-sister to the ill-fated Group 1 Prix Morny heroine, Group 1 July Cup third and Group 1 1000 Guineas fourth Hoh Magic (Cadeaux Genereux).