Is Imaginary bet New Zealand’s best broodmare?

Scuse Me is widely regarded as the greatest broodmare in New Zealand of the modern era.

The NZ Broodmare of the Year in 2013 and 2015 and former NZ mile record holder, the B G’s Bunny mare left 13 individual winners and they amassed $4,306,483 in stakes between them.

Her offspring were headed up by the multiple Group 1 winners and sub 1:50 performers Have Faith In Me ($2,000,964) and Adore Me ($1,667,029), the Group 3 winner Imagine Me and Megabucks (1:49.6).

A lightly raced daughter, Splendid Dreams (by Dream Away), captured the NZ Broodmare of the Year title in 2016. She left 10 winners and they collectively won 128 races and an amazing $4,936,547 including the dual Grand Circuit champion Christen Me ($2,745,747) and the bonny racemare Dream About Me ($1,375,085).

However, one of Scuse Me’s granddaughters in Imaginary Bet (by Bettor’s Delight) is poised to assume the mantle as NZ’s finest broodmare.

The wins of Captain’s Mistress in the Group 1 $250,000 Victoria Cup at Melton last Saturday and Mighty Magician at Bunbury on the same night have pushed Imaginary Bet’s progeny earnings to within $1,200 of her grandmother’s total.

All told, Imaginary Bet has left seven individual winners – including six inside 2:00 – and they have won 71 races and $4,305,256 in stakemoney to date.

And, with Imaginary Bet’s leading offspring in Merlin ($1,851,885) and Captain’s Mistress ($1,814,815) still at the top of their game as well as the emerging young star Faith Not Fear, Todd and Fleur Anderson’s 2024 NZ Broodmare of the Year looks set to add substantially to her booty in the coming months.

Since producing Faith Not Fear in 2023, Imaginary Bet has left the yearling colt Captain Of Chaos (by Captaintreacherous), who fetched the equal highest price for a pacing colt of $180,000 at the NZB National Yearling Sale at Christchurch in February.

The 14 year-old matron is due shortly to foal to Captaintreacherous and will be mated with Sweet Lou or Captaintreacherous this season.

The Scuse Me family has earned a place all of its own in producing racemares such as Captain’s Mistress, Adore Me and Dream About Me – all multiple Group 1 winners  – and colts in the same class such as Have Faith In Me, Merlin, Christen Me and others.

 

by Peter Wharton, for Harnesslink