A trip to the Queensland winter carnival is in the mix for progressive mare Imwonderfultonight and she could firm up plans with another strong showing this weekend.
While the venture is yet to be confirmed, the daughter of I Am Invincible would offer a compelling argument if she runs up to expectations in the Listed City of Napier Sprint (1200m) at Otaki on Saturday.
“She’s definitely going to the broodmare paddock in the spring and probably won’t race in New Zealand again after this weekend,” trainer Sam Mynott said.
“We could send her to Brisbane for a small stint and we’ll assess that after her run on Saturday.
“We’re taking each day as it comes before we decide what we do next. There are options over there for her, two or three stakes races that would suit her, but we’ll see how she goes here first.”
Raced by strong supporters Windsor Park Stud and Ben Kwok, Imwonderfultonight has come a long way in a short time since joining Mynott’s Cambridge operation.
“She has been so consistent and she hasn’t let us down at all, she’s been super,” she said.
“She has gone from winning a maiden, a Rating 65 to stepping up to Listed level and running fourth in a Telegraph (Group 1, 1200m).”
Imwonderfultonight will head to Otaki with five top four finishes in stakes company from her last six appearances, including a second in the Listed Stewards Stakes (1200m) and thirds in the Group 3 Concorde Handicap (1200m) and most recently in the Listed Lightning Handicap (1200m).
The only blemish in the five-year-old’s form line was an out of character failure in the Group 1 BCD Group Sprint (1400m).
“We rode her back that day and it didn’t suit her. She didn’t breathe from the get-go, and it hadn’t been a problem before or after that, we let her race a bit more on the pace and she’s happy,” Mynott said.
She is currently working a team of 25 from a leased property adjacent to the Cambridge track.
“That’s nice and easy and I’ve got breakers and pre-trainers and around 10 racehorses in full work at the moment,” Mynott said.
She has also ridden over jumps in recent seasons and from limited rides won aboard Mondorani at Rotorua last winter, but won’t be adding to that tally in the foreseeable future.
“Rod (Schick, Windsor Park) put a firm foot down and I said if he keeps sending me horses like this to train then I’ll listen to him,” Mynott said.
“I obviously ride most of my work, but I have always said I wouldn’t give up training for riding over the fences.
“The business has gone a whole step ahead and I’ve got plenty of horses in the stable so that is definitely the main focus.”
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