Champion sire I Am Invincible has produced his share of brilliant mares, but none can compare to the mighty Imperatriz, who has blazed through the Melbourne Spring Carnival undefeated claiming the $3million Group I VRC Champion’s Sprint (1200m) at Flemington on Saturday to put the jewel in her crown.
Trained by Mark Walker and ridden by Opie Bosson, Imperatriz has been in rare form this year starting with a Group I win in the Sistema Railway Stakes at Te Rapa in January. Since then, she’s had a further eight starts winning seven of them with this latest victory another triumph on a remarkable CV.
Imperatriz was always travelling well for Opie Bosson and looked the winner a long way from home with Supido stallion Buenos Niches throwing out a good challenge to finish second beaten half a length with I Am Invincible’s other star daughter In Secret a gallant third. They clocked a slick 1:09.08 seconds.
"She's a real star and did the whole of New Zealand proud today," Mark Walker said.
"It's probably a little bit of relief more than anything.
"You dream of days like this and there's a lot that goes into these days from the ground up."
Opie Bosson has ridden Imperatriz in 10 of her 17 wins and is keen for the superstar sprinter to take on the world.
"Geez it's a long way up that straight. But to her credit she knuckled down and put her ears back,” he said.
"We always knew she was really talented, she's just getting better with age and she is the real deal and she has proven it now.
"I'd love to, I'd love a trip away. It'd be nice to get to (Royal) Ascot and show them how good she is.”
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 17 wins from 23 starts with $5.2million 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 and has since produced a full brother to Imperatriz.
Imperatriz is the most successful Group I winner for Yarraman Park’s champion sire I Am Invincible, who has opened a commanding lead on the Australian General Sires List.
