New Zealand sprint sensation Imperatriz will be eyeing an 11th group 1 triumph in Saturday’s Group 1 TJ Smith Stakes
The appearance of New Zealand sensation Imperatriz adds considerable star power to Day One of The Championships at Royal Randwick on Saturday.
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Imperatriz, the freakish sprinting mare, adds her considerable star power to the “grand finals of Australian racing” on Day One of The Championships at Royal Randwick on Saturday.
The four Group 1 races featured on the iconic Randwick program are title contests of their own including the $4 million The Star Doncaster Mile which boasts some of the best 1600m horses in training.
The classic generation of three-year-olds compete for the $2 million ATC Australian Derby (2400m), the fastest sprinters in training clash in the $2.5 million James Squire TJ Smith Stakes (1200m) and the nation’s top two-year-old will be decided in the $1 million Inglis Sires (1400m).
Each of the majors is challenging for race of the day but it is the TJ Smith Stakes that potentially carries the most significance.
The weight-for-age sprint brings together a dynamic field including 10-time Group 1 winner Imperatriz, reigning champ I Wish I Win, dual The Everest placegetter Private Eye, brilliant mares Sunshine In Paris and Espiona, and crack colts Cylinder and Ozzmosis.
But there is a certain symmetry to Imperatriz’s long-awaited return to Sydney racing in the TJ Smith Stakes, named in honour of the legendary trainer.
Her owner David Ellis from Te Akau Stud revealed he enjoyed a close relationship with Smith and idolised one of the trainer’s greatest horses.
“I was very good friends with Tommy Smith, he would come and stay on the farm here (near Matamata, New Zealand),’’ Ellis said.
“Of course, Tommy trained Kingston Town and I just loved that horse when I was growing up.’’
Kingston Town was one of the all-time greats of Australian racing and an inaugural Hall of Fame inductee.
Ellis, New Zealand’s leading owner who now has a growing presence in Australian racing with a permanent stable base at Cranbourne, has had some outstanding racehorses himself over the years.
They include Melody Belle which won 14 Group 1 races during her career, the same number as Kingston Town, and Avantage, a nine-time Group 1 winner from 1200m to 2000m.
But Imperatriz has probably usurped those mares and earned champion status with an enviable race record of 19 wins from 26 starts including 10 Group 1 successes for career prizemoney of more than $6.8 million.
“Imperatriz enjoys her racing and enjoys winning. The good horses, they love it,’’ Ellis said.
“When the moment comes they don’t, either they are sent for a spell or retired.
“But she is easy to train and wants to get out onto the track to do her work in the morning.
“The only time she gets a bit ‘toey’ is feed time – she likes her food!’’
Imperatriz comes to Sydney after winning five Group 1 races in Melbourne this season including last start in the William Reid Stakes.
“I think she will be racing in Sydney at the top of her game,’’ Ellis said.
“She came through her last win as well as she has come through any race.
“The plan is to run in the TJ Smith Stakes then she will be flown home to New Zealand for a spell after that race.’’
Imperatriz, who is trained by Mark Walker and ridden by Opie Bosson, has raced exclusively in Melbourne this season, winning six of her seven races and recording five Group 1 wins in the Moir Stakes, Manikato Stakes, Champions Sprint, Lightning Stakes and William Reid Stakes.
Her only defeat was a narrow loss to Cylinder in the Group 1 Newmarket Handicap when she conceded 6.5kg to the winner.
Ellis is conscious of criticism he has deliberately kept Imperatriz in Melbourne this season, avoiding Sydney’s best sprinters and declining offers to run her in the world’s richest turf race, the $20 million The Everest, won by Think About It last October.
But Ellis maintains Imperatriz’s 2023-24 season has been framed to ensure the mare has been placed to advantage.
“At Te Akau our model is we let the horses do the talking,’’ Ellis said. “We do the right thing by our horses and our owners.
“Last spring, we didn’t feel it was the right thing to run Imperatriz in The Everest but we are open to running in the race this year, that’s for sure.’’
Ellis also refutes suggestions Imperatriz is not as effective racing in the Sydney direction.
She has raced right-handed five times in New Zealand for three wins and at her only previous Sydney start, she was ambushed near the line by Artorius in the Group 1 Canterbury Stakes last year.
So much rests on Imperatriz’s Sydney return in the TJ Smith Stakes as victory will virtually ensure she claims Horse of the Year honours.
If Imperatriz does claim her sixth Group 1 of the season in the TJ Smith Stakes, she will become only the sixth horse to achieve the feat since the Group and Listed classification system was introduced in 1978.
The great Kingston Town was the first to win six Group 1 races in a season when he dominated during 1979-80 with big race wins in the Spring Champion Stakes, Rosehill Guineas, Tancred Stakes, AJC Australian Derby, Sydney Cup and Queensland Derby.
The only other horses to win six or more Group 1 races in a season are Weekend Hussler (2007-08), Black Caviar twice (2010-11, 2011-12), Winx three times (2016-17, 2017-18, 2019-19) and Anamoe (2022-23).
Kingston Town, Weekend Hussler, Black Caviar, Winx and Anamoe won Horse of the Year during their dominant seasons and Imperatriz can clinch the nation’s highest honour if she wins at Randwick.
Ellis said win, lose or draw Imperatriz will spell after the TJ Smith Stakes and then return to race as a six-year-old next season.
“Horses like Melody Belle and Avantage had their first runs in September as two-year-olds and they were still winning Group 1 races as six-year-olds,’’ Ellis said.
“We don’t put any pressure on our horses, we let them tell us when they want to race, when they want to spell.
“I think we will let Imperatriz tell us when she has had enough but certainly it’s not yet. We will definitely race on with her as a six-year-old.
“We have a paddock specifically set aside for Imperatriz when she comes home. She will spell for three weeks, then have a few weeks on the water walker and we will do it all again next season.’’
Originally published as New Zealand sprint sensation Imperatriz will be eyeing an 11th group 1 triumph in Saturday’s Group 1 TJ Smith Stakes
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