Crowning a memorable week for trainer Mark Newnham, Invincible Ibis (Hellbent) vindicated Hugh Bowman's faith with a record-breaking success in the HK$26-million BMW Hong Kong Derby at Sha Tin on Sunday.Owned by the Ibis Syndicate, Invincible Ibis was given a ground-saving ride by Bowman, before finishing strongly to overhaul the long-time leader Numbers (Tivaci) by 1 1/4 lengths, clocking a rapid time of 1:59.33, a new record for the Hong Kong Derby since the race distance was changed to 2,000 metres in 2000, eclipsing Massive Sovereign's mark of 1:59.85, set in 2024.Invincible Ibis had previously finished sixth to Little Paradise (Toronado) in the Hong Kong Classic Mile and runner-up to Stormy Grove (Toronado) in the Hong Kong Classic Cup. On this occasion, Stormy Grove finished a luckless third, a further short head behind Numbers, while Little Paradise proved a disappointment for the second start in succession in finishing only ninth.Celebrating his third BMW Hong Kong Derby victory after triumphs with Werther in 2016 and Furore in 2019, Bowman was elated to have teamed up with Newnham, who saddled five winners at Happy Valley on Wednesday night.“I'm very proud of him [Invincible Ibis],” said Bowman. “It means a lot to win the race for a third time and, being based here now, it makes it a bit more special for some reason or other.“Thank you to Mark and the team for preparing this horse in such magnificent order. He really did peak this afternoon. The distance was a query, no doubt about it, but he came through with flying colours.“He just gave me the sweetest ride throughout the entire trip. We were aided by a good draw, of course, but the horse won with authority and I'm so proud to have won my third BMW Hong Kong Derby.”Denied a short head by Cap Ferrat with My Wish in last season's BMW Hong Kong Derby, Newnham was ecstatic after experiencing a wildly contrasting experience to 2025.“The complete opposite to last year, that's for sure,” said Newnham. “It was just a really smooth race to watch. If I could have picked a position prior to the race, it would have been midfield one off in a consistent speed. Hugh got into that position early.“At the corner it was just going to be, 'Is he good enough?' I was pretty confident he was going to be strong late.”Newnham will now consider a FWD Champions Day (Sunday, April 26) start for Invincible Ibis, in either the HK$24-million G1 FWD Champions Mile or the HK$30-million G1 FWD QEII Cup.“We'll be looking at that [FWD Champions Day] as long as his recovery's good from today,” Newnham added. “I'm probably more inclined to run him in the Mile. Taking on Romantic Warrior and a few of the internationals at 2,000 metres, I don't think he's seasoned enough for that yet, despite his win today and the time he's run.“He's beating horses of his own age group, so I don't think we need to throw him to the wolves just yet. Horses can have a long career here, so there's no need to be testing him too much beyond his limits.”The post ‘I’m Very Proud of Him’ – Bowman Wins Third Hong Kong Derby with Blistering Invincible Ibis appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.