With less than five weeks until the first leg of the 2025/26 Four-Year-Old Classic Series – the HK$13 million Hong Kong Classic Mile (1600m) on 1 February – and with the 149th HK$26 million BMW Hong Kong Derby (2000m) on 22 March on the horizon, Karaka graduate Invincible Ibis (Hellbent) is on the march after recently posting his third successive victory.
While only relatively new to the Hong Kong scene, Newnham knows what it takes to give the Classic Series a shake after he prepared My Wish to snare last season’s Hong Kong Classic Mile before running second in the Hong Kong Classic Cup (1800m) and the BMW Hong Kong Derby.
“You’d say he’d have to be in the top three (favourites for the Hong Kong Classic Mile) at the moment. He’s improved every run and that’s what you need to keep doing,” said Newnham.
“I was in a similar position last year with My Wish and he improved all the way through, so we’re hopeful that we can do the same thing this year.”
Secured by Newnham for the Ibis Syndicate from the Kilgravin Lodge draft at the 2023 Ready to Run Sale at Karaka, Invincible Ibis posted two seconds from as many starts as a three-year-old in his debut season before returning a more mature animal this season.
After finishing third on the opening day of the 2025/26 season, Invincible Ibis has reeled off three straight victories culminating in a one-and-three-quarter-length victory under Zac Purton in the Class 3 Poinsettia Handicap (1600m) at Sha Tin on 20 December.
It was that most recent victory over a mile that gives Newnham confidence that his son of Hellbent will be competitive deep into the Four-Year-Old series.
Settled on the fence behind midfield by Purton, $2.95 chance Invincible Ibis took ground off his rivals on turning before coming off the rail soon after straightening, attacking the gap when it presented and striding clear of his rivals, which included fellow Four-Year-Old Classic Series hopefuls Fortune Boy (NZ) (Contributer) and Dazzling Fit (NZ) (Ribchester).
“That was important because as we work through the whole four-year-old series he’s going to have to go past a mile,” said the trainer. “He’s got the right racing pattern for it – he relaxes well during his races so he gives himself every opportunity to finish the race off if he’s conserved energy.
“He gives himself every opportunity to run further than a mile. They went fairly steady the other day but he still had to finish the race off.
“He looked like he still had more to give over the last 100m, so things are trending in the right direction.”
Before trying to emulate the feats of My Wish, who has gone on to be a strong Group 1 performer, Invincible Ibis will have one more chance to add to his mark of 83 when he runs in a Class 3 1600m contest restricted to four-year-olds at Sha Tin on 11 January.