Two Honours for Invincible Ibis at Hong Kong’s Champion Awards

Hong Kong Derby (2000m) winner and NZB Ready to Run Sale graduate Invincible Ibis (Hellbent) earned two accolades during the Hong Kong Jockey Club Champion Awards at the Rosewood Hotel in Hong Kong on Friday evening. 

Bought by Mark Newnham Bloodstock for $425,000 from Kilgravin Lodge's 2023 Ready to Run Sale draft at Karaka, Invincible Ibis was named Champion Four-Year-Old of the 2025-26 season.

Having improved his rating from 55 to 112 during his breakthrough campaign, he was also named the season’s Most Improved Horse.

Invincible Ibis contributed to a strong New Zealand flavour among the Hong Kong Champion Awards, with the world’s highest-rated sprinter Ka Ying Rising (NZ) (Shamexpress) also earning two accolades. He was named Champion Sprinter and shared the coveted Horse of the Year title with Romantic Warrior (Acclamation).

Invincible Ibis is trained by Mark Newnham and had nine starts during the 2025-26 season for five wins and two placings.

The highlight of his season was undoubtedly his sparkling Hong Kong Derby victory, in which he set a new race record with his time of 1:59.43.

He also stepped up to Group One level for the first time in his career and finished a commendable fourth in the Champions Mile (1600m).

Invincible Ibis earned HK$24.1m during the 2025-26 season, which is the equivalent of around NZ$5.3m – more than 12 times his purchase price at the Ready to Run Sale.

The 2026 edition of the Ready to Run Sale will take place at the Karaka Sales Centre on Wednesday 18 & Thursday 19 November with Breeze Ups to be held at Te Rapa Racecourse on Monday 12 & Tuesday 13 October.

The results of this exceptional Sale continue to reach new heights both on the racetrack and in the sale ring. We have seen three consecutive record-breaking editions, with the 2025 Sale delivering increases across all key sale indicators. The aggregate climbed to a record $41.4 million, alongside a record median of $100,000 and a record average of $156,255.

The results in the ring have grown rapidly year-on-year, with the aggregate rising 74% over seven years – from $23.8 million in 2019 to $41.4 million in 2025. The average has also lifted 70% over the same period, from $91,772 to $156,255. And despite a larger catalogue, NZB’s Ready to Run Sale has maintained an average clearance rate of 75% over the last seven years. The Sale’s closest rival has cleared an average of 67% in that time, despite a much smaller catalogue.

Entries for the Sale are open now and close at 5pm on Friday 31 July. To nominate your rising two-year-olds for the 2026 Ready to Run Sale, visit NZB’s online portal at portal.nzb.co.nz. For portal enquiries, contact NZB’s Bloodstock Administrator Mary Jane Harvey (+64 9 298 0055 or email [email protected]).

 

Vendor	Kilgravin Lodge
Purchaser	Mark Newnham Bloodstock Pty Ltd (Hong Kong)
Breeding	Hellbent – My Dear Friend
Sale	Lot 146, 2023 Ready to Run Sale, $425,000
Breeder	Mr A Goonan
Owner	Ibis Syndicate