Superstar sprinter Imperatriz strikes again
Imperatriz (I Am Invincible) laid to rest doubts stemming from an unimpressive barrier trial in claiming her ninth elite-level win in yesterday’s Black Caviar Lightning Stakes (Gr 1, 1000m) at Flemington.
But it was no typical stroll for Ta Akau’s five-year-old mare, as Proven Thoroughbreds’ redoubtable gelding Private Eye (Al Maher) almost pulled off another of his surprise attacks, giving the mare’s odds-on backers plenty of cause for concern, and making her stretch for her long head victory.
The Joe Pride-trainer Private Eye, a $5 second favourite, led at Imperatriz’s outside under a moderate early pace, was a length clear to the 500-metre mark, and was still in front at the 150 metres before Impreratriz clawed her way to the win.
Espiona (Extreme Choice) flew home for third at $26, three-quarters of a length off the winner, with Bella Nipotina (Pride Of Dubai) a head further back in fourth at $12.
Conspicuously kept away from last October’s Everest (1200m) at Randwick, Imperatriz has now won six major Melbourne sprints on the bounce, five at Group 1 level, taking her earnings through 18 wins in 24 starts to a tick less than $6 million.
Yesterday’s was easily the tightest winning margin of those half dozen. It followed her lacklustre fifth of seven in an 800-metre Cranbourne barrier trial on February 5 that had tongues wagging and, co-trainer Mark Walker admitted, had caused connections some concerns.
“Oh well, good horses, they probably save their best for race day,” Walker said post-race. “It was a lacklustre trial, it really was, but when we galloped her on Monday, we were really happy with her.
“She’s a gem, really, to do it in the spring and come back and win like that.”
Walker commended fellow New Zealander Opie Bosson – Imperatriz’s regular rider since her early days across the Tasman – for coaxing the best out of the mare after Blake Shinn on Private Eye had heaped on the pressure to the outside of the mare throughout.
“Gun ride by Opie today. It was a really tactical affair, and he used the initiative, but it is a relief,” Walker said.
“Full credit to the second horse. He’s a really good horse and he stuck it to her today, so I think you saw two really good horses fight out an exciting finish.”
After yesterday’s win, Bosson admitted to concerns after Imperatriz’s poor trial under Michael Dee. But while this wasn’t an imperious Imperatriz, Bosson said the mare was always responding like a winner underneath him.
“There was a bit [of pressure] because of that trial, but Mark has been over here and said she’s 100 per cent and when he says that, he’s right,” Bosson said.
“To be honest, I was a little bit worried but Mark, when he knows one is on, it is on. She’s a race day horse and she’s proven that. Like myself, I don’t really like going to the trials either.
“She was always travelling beautifully and just kept creeping up and creeping up. Every time I gave her a little squeeze, she’d come underneath me.
“She changed legs at the right time and when I really had to go for it, I knew she had that bit extra. Once I went for her late, she found that kick that she always has.”
Imperatriz, unlikely to be risked under a massive weight in Flemington’s Newmarket Handicap (Gr 1, 1200m), may now finally return to Sydney, where her only run has been a second on her Australian debut to Artorius (Flying Artie) in last March’s Canterbury Stakes (Gr 1, 1300m).
The Te Akau stable had previously identified Randwick’s $3 million WFA TJ Smith Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) on April 6 as her prime target. Bosson last spring also urged a trip to Royal Ascot this year, but Walker, who trains Imperatriz in partnership with Sam Bergerson, was keeping close counsel on her future after emerging from yesterday’s scare.
“We’ll just get her through today and see how she is and come up with a plan going forward,” he said.
Imperatriz (5 m I Am Invincible – Berimbau by Shamardal) yesterday provided a 25th stakes win of the season for Yarraman Park’s I Am Invincible (Invincible Spirit), a runaway leader charging toward his third Australian general sires title. The 13-year-old has 14 stakes winners for the season – seven more than joint-seconds Zoustar (Northern Meteor) and Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice). Zoustar is outright second by stakes wins, with nine to I Am Invincible’s 25.
Bred by Malaysian businessman Dato Yap Kim San’s since sold-off Raffles Farm, Imperatriz was a $360,000 buy for Te Akau’s David Ellis at the Gold Coast in 2020.
She’s the second foal, and the best of two winners, from the Group 2-placed winner Berimbau (Shamardal), whose yearling colt by Capitalist (Written Tycoon) sold from the Bhima Thoroughbreds draft at the Gold Coast last month to Lofty Thoroughbred Group/AGR Racing for $200,000.
Berimbau was sold last year for $1.8million at the Inglis Chairman’s Sale to Yulong – again in-foal to I Am Invincible – and has since produced a brother to Imperatriz, before being covered last October by Yulong’s Pierata (Pierro).
Shinn paid tribute to the versatile six-year-old Private Eye after the gelding’s third Group 1 placing, to sit alongside his top tier victory in the Epsom Handicap (Gr 1, 1600m) in 2021, plus his second and third in the Everests of 2022 and 2023. A $62,500 buy for Proven and Pride at the Adelaide Magic Millions yearling sale of 2019, Private Eye has now earned more than $9.6 million from 31 starts.
“The horse ran amazing,” Shinn said. “There was no pressure early and we ended up leading, which wasn’t ideal. The mare came at me, he was up for the challenge, but she pulled out enough, so it is no disgrace to run where he did.”