Superstar sprinting mare Imperatriz maintained her unblemished record at Moonee Valley with another scintillating performance in Saturday’s $2million Group I MVRC Manikato Stakes (1200m).
Te Akau Racing’s freakish daughter of I Am Invincible has now had four starts at the unique Melbourne circuit for four Group wins – the Gr.1 William Reid Stakes (1200m), Gr.2 McEwen Stakes (1000m), Gr.1 Moir Stakes (1000m) and the Manikato Stakes.
Imperatriz was a red-hot $1.40 favourite for the Manikato, having produced explosive finishes from off the pace to score easy and track-record-breaking wins in the McEwen Stakes and Moir Stakes in her previous two starts.
She did things a little differently on Saturday, breaking alertly from the starting gates and landing in the lead. Jockey Opie Bosson was happy to stay there, dictating the race from the front before increasing the tempo coming down the side of the track. Imperatriz quickly shook free of Jigsaw and scooted away, rounding the home turn with a three-length lead.
The result was in no doubt from there, with Imperatriz all alone down the short Moonee Valley straight. She swept past the finish line three and a quarter lengths ahead of another I Am Invincible mare in I Am Me, stopping the clock at 1:09.59.
“It’s easy when you’re riding horses like this,” Bosson said. “She just does everything for me, really. She’s something special.
“She’s the best I’ve ever ridden, by far. I’ve never ridden a horse that can just switch off and then go bang when you want it.
“It wasn’t really the plan to lead, but we were there and she was doing it comfortably. She changed legs at the right time, and turning for home I knew that we were going to be hard to beat.”
Imperatriz dodged the Everest, but has been unstoppable in Melbourne this spring and there is one more big goal on the horizon in the $3million Group I VRC Champions Sprint (1200m) on November 11.
“It’s great for all the ownership group,” head trainer Mark Walker said. “They’ve been so understanding about not going to Sydney for The Everest (1200m). We’re thinking about her longevity.
“It’s a big thrill, and I think this mare is keeping Opie in the saddle as well. He’s such an important part of our team, so that’s great.
“That ride today is the genius of Opie. She jumped so well, so why take away that advantage? I think he probably expected that someone might come around him and then he’d take a trail, but no one did. She had the race in the bag a long way from home, really.”
Bred by Malaysian businessman Dato Yap Kim San’s Raffles Farm, Imperatriz was a $360,000 Magic Millions purchase for David Ellis from the Bhima Thoroughbreds draft. She is another nod to the success of the breeding operation, which was managed by Bruce Sherwin since it was established in 2008 and in addition to Imperatriz has produced the likes of Group I winners Glint Of Hope, More Than Sacred and First Seal.
Economic pressures stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic forced Dato Yap to sacrifice his ‘hobby’ thoroughbred breeding operation to secure his core businesses throughout Asia. Raffles Farm on the outskirts of Cambridge was sold in 2022, along with almost the entirety of Dato Yap’s Australasian bloodstock portfolio.
Imperatriz has the overall record of 16 wins from 22 starts with $3.5million in prizemoney and is the best of two winners from Berimbau, a Group II placed half-sister by Shamardal (USA) to stakes-winner Vinco, who is also by Imperatriz’s sire I Am invincible.
The family also features Group winners Royal Courtship and Poor Judge as well as stakes-winner Proud Player.
Berimbau has a yearling colt by Capitalist and was sold earlier this year in foal again to I Am Invincible for $1.8million at the Inglis Chairman’s Sale to Yulong.
Imperatriz is the most successful Group I winner for Yarraman Park’s champion sire I Am Invincible.
