Ten up for Te Akau’s super mare Imperatriz
Te Akau’s superstar mare Imperatriz (5 m I Am Invincible – Berimbau by Shamardal) took her Moonee Valley record to five wins from as many starts as she went back-to-back in Saturday’s William Reid Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m).
The Mark Walker-trained five-year-old, who had previously finished second in the Newmarket Handicap (Gr 1, 1200m) under a 58-kilogram topweight, was brave again at the finish to hold off a strong challenge from $67 outsider Johnny Rocker (Jukebox) to eventually score by 0.2 lengths, with a further two lengths back to the third-placed I Am Me (I Am Invincible).
Imperatriz has now raced in Melbourne on eight occasions, registering seven wins, of which six have come at Group 1 level, while her overall elite-level-winning tally now stands tall at ten.
“It’s a great thrill, especially after the Newmarket,” Walker said. “She really dug deep that day and to come back here and do it at her favourite track, it is a bit of relief, really.
“She got into a nice spot, and we haven’t had much luck today on the fence, so I knew we’d be out from the draw.
“It was great to come back from the Newmarket [and win], because that was a tough run and to show her fighting qualities today was brilliant. She’s extremely good and I’m thankful that she’s in the stable.”
Opie Bosson, who flew in from New Zealand to ride the mare, said after Imperatriz had been beaten in the Newmarket that she would be hard to beat at weight-for-age next start.
“I seemed to get in quite nicely behind Bella Nipotina and I thought she’d take me into the race, but she didn’t,” Bosson said.
“I had to make quite a long run, to be fair to her, down the side and when we turned in and she gets on that right leg going down the straight she is amazing.
“You can feel her picking up underneath you and once she balances up, she is all class. I’m glad she came out there and won the way she did.”