Horse racing: Imperatriz to miss feature

Imperatriz is likely to race in Sydney after she was scratched from the Arrowfield Stud Plate. Photo / Trish Dunell

Glamour mare Imperatriz is out of the $300,000 Arrowfield Stud Plate at Hastings on Saturday, throwing the second Group1 of the thoroughbred season wide open.

And one of the biggest winners from her scratching is Defibrillate, who picks up the services of champion jockey Opie Bosson for the 1600m feature.

Te Akau pulled the plug on Imperatriz's New Zealand spring campaign as track and weather reports suggest a heavy surface at Hastings for the second day of their spring carnival.

Imperatriz looked bogged down when fourth on a heavy track in the Tarzino Trophy last start so will now head to Australia where she is likely to race next in Sydney on October 8.
She was the $2.70 TAB favourite for the Arrowfield and leaves fellow 4-year-old mare La Crique as the new $2.60 favourite, with her connections having committed to a Hastings start.

While there is no rain forecast in Hastings until Friday, local trainer John Bary, who will have Spring Tide in the Arrowfield, says he is certain the track will be heavy.

"Water is just lying around on the ground at my place because the water table is so high," Bary told the Herald.

"So I can't see it drying much and we are supposed to get rain Friday and Saturday."

That doesn't bother Bary as he has proven wet trackers in Spring Tide and his filly Best Seller, who will start against the boys in the Hawkes Bay Guineas.

Another not overly concerned by the possibility of a wet track is Graham Richardson, who could line up Defibrillate and Tiptronic in the Arrowfield.

"A heavy track wouldn't bother Defibrillate although it wouldn't entirely suit Tiptronic so if it dries a bit that will be better for him," says Richardson.

"But they are both likely to start at this stage."

Defibrillate hasn't raced here for over three years but has been a consistent black type performer in Victoria and even finished sixth in the Australian Cup last year.

He gets Bosson, who leads the New Zealand premiership, after Imperatriz pulled out and Richardson says his 8-year-old will handle 1600m fresh up.

"He goes great fresh and a lot of his best wins have been fresh," he said. "He will handle a heavy track, if that is what it ends up being, better than most of them."

Imperatriz's withdrawal from the Arrowfield continues a nightmare spring for futures punters on New Zealand's feature races because of wet tracks, Australian travel plans, retirement or injuries.

Imperatriz joins Dragon Leap and Catalyst (now with Mike Moroney) as heavily supported horses in futures markets here who headed to Australia, Tarzino winner Dark Destroyer will miss the second two days at Hastings while one-time Livamol Classic favourite Amarelinha has been retired and is being auctioned on Gavelhouse Plus, where bidding has already reached $450,000.

The favourites for the 1000 Guineas at Riccarton in Maven Belle (injured) and Lickety Split (campaigning in Victoria) will also miss that Group 1, although the TAB's Future Proof product will help ease some of that pain for punters investing $50 or less as they get bonus bet refunds if their futures punts don't start.