Horse racing: Imperatriz set to remain offshore until next winter

Opie Bosson and Imperatriz won the Champions Sprint. Photo / Bruno Cannatelli

The team behind superstar sprinting mare Imperatriz may not know exactly where she is going next but they know where she isn’t: home.

Imperatriz capped her unbeaten spring when triumphant in the A$3 million Champions Sprint at Flemington on Saturday and will head to the spelling paddock but in Victoria rather than New Zealand.

“She’ll only spell for two weeks, so she’ll stay over there because that’s where she’ll race next in February or March,” said managing owner David Ellis. “So she won’t come back to New Zealand until it’s time for her winter spell next year.”

While no decision will be made on Imperatriz’s racing future until after Ellis and co-trainer Mark Walker get through the Ready To Run sales at Karaka next week, an interesting new option sure to be floated their way came up yesterday.

The TAB/Entain business announced they have taken a slot in the A$5m Quokka slot race in Perth next April, as they did with the Everest this year.

As a 1200m left-handed race, the Quokka’s conditions would be perfect for Imperatriz, and she would be a dream promotional tool for the TAB/Entain slot, not to mention Air New Zealand, who might get 100 more bookings for Perth for the April 20 race if Imperatriz heads there.

Ellis says while the race hasn’t been ruled out for Imperatriz, he warns punters against taking the $2 Futures odds.

“We definitely haven’t made any decisions or ruled anything out but Perth might be unlikely.”

The Quokka comes just two weeks after the TJ Smith at Randwick, which shapes as the heavyweight title fight for Australasia’s best sprinters. TAB/Entain won’t struggle for a serious replacement, though, as being a branding exercise, they can afford to offer better terms to the connections of horses than a smaller business or slot holder.

Off the prow

Trainer Roger James says there is a reason 4-year-old mares get relief at weight-for-age and Prowess summed it up in Saturday’s Champion Stakes.

The Cambridge mare was sixth but only a length from second in the 2000m Group 1 at Fleimington won by former Kiwi mare Atishu.

“I had my suspicions she was six or even 12 months away from winning a race like this but she was well enough to have a go,” says James.

“She got down on the inside where they weren’t winning from [on Saturday] and we were proud of her but I’m sure she’ll be better next campaign.”

Prowess returns home with the $1m Elsdon Park Aotearoa Classic on January 27 a likely but not definite target.

“It is hard on these 4-year-old mares taking on the best weight-for-age horses, but look at Atishu, she’s only hitting her peak now as a 6-year-old and there is no reason this mare can’t do that, too.”

Atishu was one of three winners at three different tracks for Auckland syndicators Go Racing on Saturday, including impressive juvenile winner Velocious at Te Rapa.

Awesome foursome

Tomorrow’s New Zealand Trotting Cup could boast a record First4 pool.

The TAB are guaranteeing the First4 to $200,000 on the iconic pacing race at Addington, which goes at 5.20pm.

While taking First4s in 15-horse standing start races is usually the ultimate punting Hail Mary, in tomorrow’s Cup, it may not be the worst option.

It has two clear favourites in Akuta and Swayzee, an even block of five or six other chances and a tail of horses not expected to be in the first four, as the hard-run 3200m sees the best horses come to the fore.

Akuta remains the $2.20 favourite here and a TAB promotion boosting Australian pacer Swayzee’s price to $4 yesterday was shortlived as he shortened to $3.60 in the promotion and his normal market price tightened to $3.20.

Michael Guerin wrote his first nationally published racing articles while still in school and started writing about horse racing and the gambling industry for the Herald as a 20-year-old in 1990. He became the Herald’s Racing Editor in 1995 and covers the world’s biggest horse racing carnivals.

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