Imperatriz Runs to Greatness, Champions Sprint Triumph

Opie Bosson said he'd "love to" take on the world's best sprinters at Royal Ascot with Imperatriz (AUS) after the mighty mare entered the history books by completing Melbourne's spring group 1 sprint treble Nov. 11 at Flemington Racecourse. Ta Akau Racing's awesome 5-year-old took her earnings past AU$5.3 million, made it 17 wins from 23 starts, 13 from her past 16, and followed her effortless wins in the Moir Stakes (G1) and Manikato Stakes (G1) with a third straight top-tier success in Saturday's Champions Sprint (G1). It was a day dominated by the mares, with the other two group 1s on the Flemington card, the Champions Mile (G1) and Champions Stakes (G1), going the way of Pride Of Jenni (AUS) and Atishu (NZ) respectively. Bred by the New South Wales wing of New Zealand entity Raffles Dancers and bought by Te Akau from Bhima Thoroughbreds' draft at the 2020 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale for AU$360,000, Imperatriz is the most prolific top-level winner on the planet in 2023, with six wins at the highest level to her name. And with Saturday's win, her eighth career group 1 triumph, she became the first horse to win Melbourne's trio of major sprints in one spring, putting her name above some stars who came up short even before all three had top-level status. In 1982, Manikato himself won the then-group 2 Moir and the Manikato (then known as the group 2 Freeway Stakes and run in August), before running third in Melbourne Cup week's group 1 sprint (then the Pure Pak Stakes). Buffering (AUS) has come closest in the modern era, running second in the first Moir held as a group 1, in 2013, before winning the second two legs. The unbeaten Black Caviar (AUS) went back-to-back in the first and third legs in 2010 and 2011, but never contested a Manikato. Having bypassed The Everest as the Te Akau team of David Ellis, Karyn Fenton-Ellis, and trainer Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson opted to concentrate on Melbourne, Imperatriz, though easing slightly from odds-on on Friday to start AU$2.15, cooly coped with her first taste of straight racing to win the AU$3 million race by half a length. Matthew Smith's brave Buenos Noches (AUS), took second on her inside, with Godolphin mare In Secret (AUS), three-quarters of a length further back in third, while Espiona (AUS) nosed Bella Nipotina (AUS) out of fourth. And while Walker kept a lid on talk of Imperatriz taking on the world next year, Bosson—who's ridden her in 11 of her past 13 starts for nine wins—showed little doubt the mare would be suited by a race such as the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes (G1) up the straight on the final day of the Royal Ascot meeting. "It'd be nice to get to Ascot and show them how good she is," Bosson told Racing.com after chalking up his 94th group 1 win. "We always knew she was really, really talented, and she's just getting better and better with age. She is the real deal and she's proven that now. Hopefully there's more to come for both of us." Jumping from gate eight in an 11-horse field that went down the grandstand side, Bosson found an easy trail behind Front Page (AUS), who led while another potential front-runner, the disappointing Asfoora (AUS), took a sit. Bosson hooked to the outside to ease to the lead through hands-and-heels riding at the 350 meters, then punched the mare out with the whip inside the last 150 meters to shore up the win. "I used Front Page as my bunny. I probably got (to the front) a little bit soon," Bosson said. "Geez, it's a long way up that straight once you're sitting there, but to her credit she knuckled down, put her ears back and had a decent crack."