Invincible Ibis has emerged as a serious name on the Road to the Derby, continuing his upward trajectory with a sequence of performances that suggest the major four-year-old contests are arriving at exactly the right time. As the first leg of Hong Kong’s Classic Series edges closer, Mark Newnham’s progressive galloper is building momentum with the calm assurance of a horse still learning his trade but already answering key questions.
With less than five weeks until the Hong Kong Classic Mile (1600m) opens the 2025–26 Four-Year-Old Classic Series on 1 February, and the Derby itself waiting in March, the Road to the Derby picture is beginning to sharpen. Invincible Ibis, now a winner of three consecutive races, sits prominently within that frame.
Newnham is no stranger to navigating this path. Last season, he guided My Wish through the same programme, capturing the Classic Mile before finishing runner-up in both the Classic Cup and the Hong Kong Derby. Experience counts for plenty at this stage of the season, and it shapes the measured confidence surrounding Invincible Ibis.
“You’d say he’d have to be in the top group at the moment,” Newnham said. “He’s improved with every run, and that’s exactly what you need at this time of year. We were in a similar position last season and saw how that unfolded, so we’re hopeful history can rhyme.”
Purchased for the Ibis Syndicate from New Zealand’s 2023 Ready to Run Sale, Invincible Ibis showed early promise with two second-place finishes as a three-year-old. He has returned this term a stronger, more settled horse, and the results have followed. After opening the season with a solid third, he has since strung together three victories, the latest a decisive one-and-three-quarter-length success in the Class 3 Poinsettia Handicap over 1600 metres at Sha Tin on 20 December.
That latest performance has been pivotal to his Road to the Derby narrative. The mile win answered lingering questions about his capacity to finish off his races when pressure is applied, and it did so in a manner that encouraged his trainer to look further ahead.
Settled quietly on the rail behind midfield, Invincible Ibis travelled smoothly before improving into the race approaching the turn. Once clear in the straight, he accelerated through the opening and moved decisively past his rivals, including fellow Classic Series hopefuls Fortune Boy and Dazzling Fit, to assert his authority late.
“That was important because he’s going to have to go beyond a mile as the series unfolds,” Newnham explained. “He relaxes well and gives himself every chance to finish his races. Even with a steady tempo, he still found the line strongly and looked as though there was more there over the final stages.”
Those qualities are essential currency on the Road to the Derby, where adaptability and composure often matter as much as raw speed. Newnham believes the signs are encouraging, particularly given how the gelding conserved energy before producing his effort.
Before any attempt is made to mirror the achievements of My Wish, Invincible Ibis will take one more preparatory step. He is set to contest a four-year-old-only Class 3 race over 1600 metres at Sha Tin on 11 January, a run that will provide another meaningful guide to where he sits within the broader Classic hierarchy.
For now, the evidence suggests a horse moving in the right direction at the right moment, steadily carving his place on the Road to the Derby.
The Hong Kong derby continues to stand as the defining test of a four-year-old’s class, temperament, and stamina across the Classic Series.
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