Imperative

A 4-year-old son of Bernardini, Imperative had an undistinguished career prior to 2014. In his first ten starts he had two wins and two second-place finishes, including one in a $50,000 claiming race as recently as December 2013.

The gelding began 2014 with a pair of allowance optional claiming efforts before trying a graded stakes. He finished second in the 2014 San Antonio (Grade 2), crossing the wire ahead of Game On Dude and four others. He then ran seventh in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap before winning the Grade 2 Charles Town Classic at odds of 26-1. His winner's share of $1,000,000 brought his career earnings to over $1.1 million and nearly doubled his trainer's career earnings.

Imperative finished second in 2015 in his bid for a repeat win in the Charles Town Classic and ran second in each of his first two races in 2016 in the Grade 2 San Pasqual Stakes and Grade 2 San Antonio Stakes. He earned his lone win in 2016 in the Big Bear Stakes at Santa Anita Park.

After opening his 2017 season with a win in the Poseidon Handicap, Imperative was unplaced in the Santa Anita Handicap in March. The following month he posted his second victory in the Charles Town Classic Stakes by rallying from off the pace to prevail by a neck.

Imperative is a son of leading sire Bernardini out of the stakes-winning Caller I.D. mare Call Her, making him a half-brother to graded stakes winner Battle Won as well as stakes winners Matched and Nadeshiko.