Imperatriz, Mark Walker‘s champion mare, silenced critics with a powerful victory in the Black Caviar Lightning 2024, silencing doubts after a lacklustre trial.
Imperatriz wins the 2024 Black Caviar Lightning as the odds-on favourite first-up at Flemington. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.
This dominant win marks her ninth Group 1 victory and extends her winning streak to six races.
Despite a fifth-place finish in a recent Cranbourne trial, Imperatriz remained the clear favourite at $1.60 to kick off her autumn campaign down under with a win for the punters.
Trainer Walker defended her performance, stating, “Good horses save their best for race day.”
And save it she did. Jockey Opie Bosson orchestrated a masterful ride, leading from the start and holding off a fierce challenge from Joe Pride‘s Private Eye over the final few hundred metres.
Imperatriz showed true grit and class, proving her dominance in Australia’s fastest Group 1 race.
“Just a gun ride by Opie today,” Walker praised. “It was a really tactical affair, and he used the initiative.”
Chris Waller‘s The Invitation winner Espiona also impressed, finishing a strong third in her first 1000m attempt.
This victory continues Imperatriz’s remarkable run, adding to her spring triumphs in the Moir Stakes, Manikato Stakes, and Champions Sprint.
:She’s just a gem really to do it in the spring and come back and win like that,” Walker added.
“Full credit to the second horse. He’s a really good horse and he stuck it to her today so I think you saw two really good horses fight out an exciting finish.”
Next up for Imperatriz remains unclear, but a title defence in the $1 million Group 1 William Reid Stakes (1200m) on March 23rd at Moonee Valley seems likely.
She is already the odds-on favourite at $1.80 through Ladbrokes to become the first horse since Apache Cat (2008-09) to win the William Reid Stakes consecutively.
2024 Black Caviar Lightning Results
| Finish | No. | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Margin | Bar. | Weight | Penalty | Starting Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | IMPERATRIZ | Mark Walker | Opie Bosson | 2 | 56.5kg | $1.60F | |||
| 2 | 1 | PRIVATE EYE | Joseph Pride | Blake Shinn | 0.2L | 8 | 58.5kg | $5 | ||
| 3 | 5 | ESPIONA | Chris Waller | Michael Dee | 0.7L | 4 | 56.5kg | $26 | ||
| 4 | 3 | BELLA NIPOTINA | Ciaron Maher | Craig Williams | 0.9L | 6 | 56.5kg | $12 | ||
| 5 | 6 | RICH FORTUNE | Jerome Hunter | Mark Zahra | 2.4L | 1 | 56.5kg | $151 | ||
| 6 | 7 | CYLINDER | James Cummings | Damian Lane | 2.5L | 5 | 55.5kg | $18 | ||
| 7 | 2 | THE ASTROLOGIST | Leon & Troy Corstens | Luke Currie | 4.25L | 7 | 58.5kg | $81 | ||
| 8 | 8 | I AM UNSTOPPABLE | Lloyd Kennewell & Lucy Yeomans | Ms Jamie Kah | 4.35L | 3 | 55.5kg | $6.50 |
Table Credit: Racing Australia.
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