Champion sire I Am Invincible has sired a lot of outstanding Group I performers, but none have won more G1 races than his five time G1 winner Imperatriz, who was utterly spectacular at Moonee Valley on Saturday.
Te Akau Racing’s new Victorian stable got off to the perfect start when the star Kiwi trained mare made a stunning reappearance, cruising to victory in the Group II McEwen Stakes (1000m).
The Mark Walker-trained five-year-old was first-up since winning the Group I William Reid Stakes (1200m) at The Valley back in March and was the first horse to race out of the powerhouse New Zealand operation’s new Cranbourne quarters, which opened just a matter of weeks ago.
Ridden to perfection by Michael Dee, Imperatriz raced back in the field and was patiently handled as key rival Giga Kick made first-run.
Dee presented Imperatriz widest of all and the mare’s acceleration was electric, as she put a strong field to bed in a matter of strides, setting a new track record of 56.68 at her first attempt at 1000m, as Rothfire and Giga Kick trailed her home in second and third respectively, beaten 2.5 lengths.
"It's a huge relief,” said Ben Gleeson, Assistant Trainer for Te Akau Racing Australia.
“It is nice to add onto the day they have had at home with four winners and a Group One so a huge day for the team.
“Big credit to the team at home, Mark and Sam (Bergerson) sent her to me in incredible order. The improvement I saw in her after spending two weeks in New Zealand, there is an incredible group of staff and it just speaks volumes to the whole operation that she's turned up and shown us that today.
"She got into a lovely position, we'd always planned to be dropping in behind the speed and having Giga Kick behind us was obviously a little bit worrying that he had us in a stalking position but when he took off Mick (Dee) just read the race perfectly, got the trail and the way that she let down was incredible.”
Imperatriz is likely to remain in Melbourne this spring, with the Group I Moir Stakes (1000m), Group I Manikato Stakes (1200m) and Group I Champions Sprint (1200m) on the radar.
“It is nice to know that her next two starts are here at The Valley – bring it on,” Gleeson said.
Formerly Assistant Trainer to Danny O’Brien, Gleeson is relishing his new role with Te Akau.
"They’ve been an incredibly warming organisation for me,” he said. “It's been very smooth, Mark and Sam and David (Ellis) and Karyn (Fenton-Ellis), they make you feel like a family. Mark's been very trusting over here, it's been pretty straightforward. To be a part of something special is a nice feeling.
Winning rider Michael Dee was blown away by the turn of foot shown by the five-time Group One winner but admitted to some concerns in the run.
"I was a little bit concerned when Giga Kick came around, I thought I know she's got a great turn of foot as we've all seen in the past and as it turned out I pressed the button too soon because we hit the front in three or four strides from sixth in the running,” he said.
“Opie (Bosson) said to me yesterday she's got the best turn of foot of a horse that he's ever felt and I've gotta say she's probably the best one I've ever felt."
Dee will be hoping Te Akau’s retained rider Opie Bosson is required for more feature New Zealand race meetings in the future.
"I think there's certainly good racing over there (in New Zealand) at the moment and Opie's the man for Te Akau but I think he's just got a New Zealand contract doesn't he so, it's not a contract for Australia just yet,” he quipped.
The win capped a terrific day for Te Akau Racing, where trainers Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson had saddled four winners at Hastings earlier in the day, including Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m) winner Skew Wiff, and a pair of stakes victories with quality three-year-olds Quintessa (Gr.3 Gold Trail Stakes, 1200m) and Tokyo Tycoon (Listed Sir Colin Meads Trophy, 1200m).
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 One 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 14 wins from 20 starts with $1.7million 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 brought up a stakes double at Moonee Valley for I Am Invincible, who also sired Charm Stone to win the Listed MVRC Atlantic Jewel Stakes.
