Imperatriz imperious in Bosson’s hands at Te Rapa

Outstanding three-year-old filly Imperatriz blew her older rivals off the track at Te Rapa on Saturday when she bolted clear to win the Group I New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m).

The Mark Walker-trained daughter of I Am Invincible was given a top ride by Opie Bosson making use of her inside barrier to trail leader One Dream One Soul before moving off the rail to challenge three wide on the home corner.

Allowed to balance up, the filly blazed to the front at the 300m and she ran away from multiple Group I winner Coventina Bay to win easing down by five lengths with Two Illicit snatching third off Dragon Queen on the line.

Walker, who took over the reins at Te Akau Racing with the departure of Jamie Richards to Hong Kong, has now picked up two Group I wins in the space of a fortnight after success with two-year-old filly Maven Belle in the Group I Manawatū Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) at Awapuni

‘‘She’s a high-class filly and from her first start as a two-year-old you could see how good she was going to be,’’ Walker said.

‘‘She is just getting more mature and Opie took bad luck out of the equation when he popped off the fence and went three wide.

‘‘He knew what he had underneath him as he has ridden horses like this all of his life and he knows what to do on the big days.’’

Walker doesn’t have any set plans for the filly but will take into consideration how she pulls up from the run before making any further decisions.

‘‘We’ll have a good think about what happens next, but she did go to Riccarton in the spring, so maybe a break is in order. We have got a few going to Brisbane but we will just have a think about it after what we see on Monday.’’

Connections of Imperatriz could also potentially target the Group I Empire Rose Stakes (1600m) at Flemington in spring, where an A$1 million bonus is now in play.

The New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes is one of 12 black-type races whereby the winner is eligible for the seven-figure bonus should they go on to win the Flemington fillies and mares feature.

It was also the one domestic Group I race champion Bosson hadn’t won but he made all the right moves aboard Imperatriz to record his 87th elite-level win.

Imperatriz has now won seven of her 10 starts and just under $500,000 in stakes.

– NZ Racing Desk