Group One commitments in New Zealand will mean Opie Bosson will hand over the reins to Michael Dee on star mare Imperatriz (I Am Invincible) in Saturday’s McEwen Stakes, but her regular rider says she is in fine fettle ahead of her first-up assignment.
Bosson, who is required at Hastings for the Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m), rode the five-time Group One winner in a recent Taupo trial before she touched down in Australia last week.
“She felt great and she is coming up really, really well,” Bosson said.
“She has never felt better and I can’t fault her one bit.
“She hasn’t got those niggly little problems that she had last season, so she is going strongly.
“If she’s by herself, she just plots around, but if she works in company, she will pretty much beat anything on the track.
“The 1000 metres might be a little bit sharp for her, but she needs those runs to bring her on.”
Imperatriz will tackle the Gr.1 Moir Stakes next, also over 1000m, before the 1200m of the Gr.1 Manikato Stakes and Gr.1 Champions Sprint.
With Te Akau Racing setting up a permanent base at Cranbourne, Bosson said his role with the Australian stable will continue to evolve as more horses arrive.
“We will just have to see how things go,” Bosson explained.
“There aren’t that many horses coming over to start with.
“It’s a work in progress … if we’ve got some nice horses running at the times I might but the bosses are pretty keen on me staying here and then flying in to ride Imperatriz.
“She’s the best in the stable, so she’s pretty exciting.”
Bosson said the Cambridge Stud-owned Zourion (NZ) (Zoustar), who is unbeaten from two starts and a Group Two winner, is also an exciting prospect for Mark Walker who is expected to travel to Melbourne this spring.
