Racing: Imperatriz stakes claim to be New Zealand's best horse

Opie Bosson eased Imperatriz to the line in the Foxbridge Plate yesterday. Photo / Trish Dunell

It took only a few seconds of magic in the mud at Te Rapa yesterday for Imperatriz to lodge her claim for the vacant crown as the queen of New Zealand racing.

The four-year-old mare destroyed her opposition in the $120,000 Foxbridge Plate, sitting wide on a track probably heavier than she would enjoy, but bolting clear at the 200m for one of the biggest winning margins in a major New Zealand thoroughbred race in recent years.

After a dozen Group 1 winners were retired in just over a year last season, including New Zealand's best horse in Probabeel, that title has yet to be handed over but Imperatriz made a compelling claim for it yesterday.

While La Crique and Catalyst will ensure more dynamic opposition in the Tarzino Trophy at Hastings on September 10, they are going to need to do something freakish fresh-up to beat the latest Te Akau superstar.

Jockey Opie Bosson was left beaming by the win, suggesting he knew the second Imperatriz strode on to the Te Rapa racing surface she was ready to step up a gear from her win at Ruakaka three weeks ago.

"She felt up for it and my only concern was choosing when to let her go," said Bosson.

He and trainer Mark Walker will now aim her at the Tarzino.

She will also have enormous options in Australia, but the most obvious is the A$1 million Empire Rose at Flemington in October, victory in which would earn Imperatriz an A$1 million bonus as she won one of the qualifying races, the NZ Breeders Stakes earlier this year.

Australian bookies were watching yesterday's race as they instantly moved Imperatriz into as short as $3.50 favouritism for the Empire Rose.

"We knew when we galloped her on Tuesday morning she was right where she needed to be but there are always doubts over top horses on tracks that wet," said trainer Mark Walker.

"But she is a very good racehorse."

It is impossible to make a case for any of those who finished behind Imperatriz yesterday beating her this spring so the greatest challengers to her bid to be our best horse lie in the other glamour mares Levante, Entriviere and La Crique, with the unknown factor the returning Catalyst.

While not anywhere as dramatic as Imperatriz, another returning four-year-old in White Noise also suggested he has more lucrative targets within his grasp this season when he led all the way to win the strong rating 75 race yesterday.

White Noise was well raced in front by promising apprentice Kelsey Hannan.