All The Berri Best

Yesterday marked the end of a very special era as Imperatriz departed Te Akau Stud.

The Champion Imperatriz (I Am Invincible) remained in the headlines when selling last week for A$6.6 million at the Magic Millions’ National Broodmare Sale on the Gold Coast.

She became the highest priced filly or mare ever sold in the Southern Hemisphere.

Imperatriz was also purchased on the Gold Coast, when Te Akau principal David Ellis CNZM outlaid A$360,000 at the Yearling Sale in 2020, from the draft of Bhima Thoroughbreds, and she was owned by theTe Akau Invincible Empress Racing Partnership (Mgr: Karyn Fenton-Ellis MNZM).

Well documented as the last yearling share sold by Te Akau in 2020, Imperatriz made her mark as a two-year-old, winning both starts including the Group 2 Eclipse Stakes (1200m). She won two Group Ones over a mile at three to become Champion Three-Year-Old, added three Group Ones as a four-year-old for the title of Champion Sprinter/Miler, and in more recent times made her mark as a sprinter with six additional Group Ones, five this season alone, in Australia.

Under the tutelage of Te Akau trainer Mark Walker, from Te Akau’s stables at Cranbourne (Victoria), Imperatriz defending her title in the A$1 million Group 1 William Reid Stakes (1200m) on 23 March at Moonee Valley, to record her 10th Group One victory.

She became the only horse to win the Group 1 Sprint Triple Crown at Moonee Valley, achieving the feat in fact twice - once in the 2023 calendar year, and again in the 2023/24 racing season - a ‘double triple’ as the MVRC calls it!

Imperatriz retired following a close fourth in the A$3 million Group 1 T J Smith Stakes (1200m) on 6 April at Randwick. She won 19 of her 27 starts, including 10 of 13 since 1 January last year, and nearly NZ$7.6 million in prize money.

For the lucky syndicate owners, they turned $360,000 into more than $14.5 million – like winning the lottery.

Given her performances this season to win five Group One races in Australia, as well as a Group 2 where she set the first of two track records, and being trained by a New Zealand based stable, Imperatriz appears a shoo-in for Horse of the Year, after being edged out by only two votes among a total of 58 votes for the Horse of the Year title last year.

Being purchased by Ellis and trained from the Te Akau stables at Matamata, meant race fans were given a chance to see first-hand the burgeoning career of Imperatriz before she rose to the dizzy heights of Best Mare in the World as rated by the Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings.

From the outset, she displayed talent and toughness to overcome Heavy10 footing when winning on debut as two-year-old on 26 November 2020 at Otaki, and remained unflinching to beat arguably the strongest juvenile field at that stage of the season in the Group 2 Eclipse Stakes on 1 January 2021 at Ellerslie.

As a three-year-old on 4 September 2021 at Te Rapa, she produced an outstanding fresh-up victory in the Group 3 Northland Breeders’ Stakes (1200m), and created a colossal performance from the outside gate (10) to win the Group 3 Soliloquy Stakes (1400m) on 23 October at Matamata.

Showing further improvement, she electrifyingly won the Lisa Chittick Plate (1400m) by five lengths on 26 February 2022 at Matamata, before quickening to a winning advantage and her first Group One in the Levin Classic (1600m) on Oaks Day (19 March) at Trentham.

“She went bang, said I’ve got this, and put them away easy,” said commentator Tony Lee at the time.

Having obviously advanced to another level, she was even more impressive winning the Group 1 NZ Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m) on 16 April at Te Rapa. Once ignited in the straight, her astonishing turn of foot had rivals gasping as she cleared out to win by five lengths.

She resumed as a four-year-old on 6 August 2022 at Ruakaka, with a strong winning performance in the Open Handicap 1100 metres, before presenting in magnificent order and showing an incredible sprint and acceleration to claim victory by five and three-quarter lengths in the Group 2 Foxbridge Plate (1200m) on 27 August at Te Rapa.

She returned on 1 January 2023 to Te Rapa, making it four from four on the course with victory in the Group[ 1 Sistema Railway (1200m), and remained in pristine order to comfortably win the Group 2 Westbury Classic (1400m) on 21 January at Pukekohe.

Imperatriz signed off from NZ racing with a near track record performance, when clocking 1:20.70, in the Group 1 BCD Group Sprint (1400m) on Legends Day (11 February) at Te Rapa.

With four Group One wins under her belt on home soil, Te Akau trainers Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson considered the time was right to take on the Aussie sprinters, which proved a masterstroke on their part - and, as they say, the rest is history... as she racked up a further six Group One wins on Australian soil.

In 2023, her six Group One victories was the most recorded by any thoroughbred anywhere in the world.

Her retirement also says a lot about the philosophy of Te Akau as David Ellis CNZM and the training team made the call that wear and tear indicated Imperatriz was close to the end of her racing career, and with her welfare was paramount, she had little else to prove.

Imperatriz has been purchased for breeding by Mr Zhijun Zhao, a friend of Mr Yuesheng Zhang, who owns and operates Yulong Stud in Victoria.

While a decision is yet to be made regarding the first stallion for Imperatriz, nine-time Champion Victorian Sire Written Tycoon (Iglesia) stands at Yulong, and appears a suitable option.

Like eight-time Champion Sire Savabeel (Zabeel), the hypothetical resultant foal would have no bloodline crosses through the first five removes.

Still in early days, the Written Tycoon/I Am Invincible cross has produced 13 winners from 17 runners, with two stakes’ winners: Straight Charge (by Written Tycoon son Written By) won the Group 2 Silver Slipper (1100m) and Mishani Lily (by I Am Invincible son Kobayashi) won the Listed Dalrello Stakes (1000m).

Imperatriz is by Champion Australian Sire I Am Invincible (Invincible Spirit), out of Group 2 placed Berimbau, while dam-sire Shamardal (Giant’s Causeway) left 45 Group One winners worldwide before passing away in 2020.

Given the class, temperament, and overall attributes that Imperatriz possessed to become such a great Champion racehorse, the performance of her progeny will be eagerly awaited.

Thank you for being one of the tangerine greats. It’s not goodbye - it’s more of a “we’ll see you soon… mate"!