Outstanding 3-year-old filly Imperatriz blew her older rivals off the track at Te Rapa when she bolted clear to win the Group 1 New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders' Stakes (1600m).
The Mark Walker-trained daughter of I Am Invincible was given a gun ride by Opie Bosson as he made use of her inside barrier to trail leader One Dream One Soul before moving off the rail to issue a challenge three wide on the home corner.
Allowed to balance up and find her feet, the filly blazed to the front at the 300m and she ran away from multiple Group 1 winner Coventina Bay to win easing down by five lengths with Two Illicit snatching third off Dragon Queen on the line.
Walker, who took over the reins at Te Akau Racing with the departure of Jamie Richards to Hong Kong, has now picked up two Group 1 wins in a fortnight after success with 2-year-old filly Maven Belle in the Group1 Manawatu Sires' Produce Stakes (1400m) at Awapuni
"She's a high-class filly, and from her first start as a 2-year-old, you could see how good she was going to be," Walker said.