'I ended up driving to Doncaster that evening to pick her up' - £3,500 Goffs UK purchase pays off for Imogen Mathias

Imogen Mathias's eye for a bargain has been demonstrated within a month of her purchase of Parikarma for £3,500 at the Goffs UK Spring Sale in May.

With Mathias herself in the saddle for the seven-year-old's first run since the sale and switch from Gary and Josh Moore's yard to John and Rhys Flint, the pair stormed to a five-and-a-half-length success at Newton Abbot this week, defying odds of 25-1.

The daughter of Canford Cliffs had not covered herself in glory on what proved to be her final start for Gary Moore in April, finishing 11th of 12 on the Flat at Windsor, beaten 33 lengths, but amateur jockey Mathias evidently saw something in the dual-purpose mare that others did not. 

Mathias, who claimed 7lb at Newton Abbot, rode her first winner on the Flat at Leicester in July 2019, had another the following month and two more that September, but this week's success was her first since, and also her debut win over jumps. 

She was first past the post on her first ride under rules on Winklemann, at Chelmsford in December 2018, but the John Flint-trained gelding was disqualified after Mathias weighed in at 8st 7lb having weighed out at 10st 10lb, the weight cloth having accidentally slipped off before the start of the race. 

Now 22, the Bridgend-based Mathias says: "My dad had a leg in a syndicate and then I started going up to John Flint's when I was about 14. it was just John then but now it's John and Rhys.

"The first time I sat on a horse was when I was there. John gave me my first ride and basically taught me how to ride. I was in school part-time and doing my apprenticeship with John too. As soon as I left school I went into racing."

Mathias works part-time in a hospital and combines that duty with riding out for the Flints. 

"At the moment I'm just doing housekeeping part-time for a mental health hospital," she says. "My typical day would be going to John's, I muck out and ride a few and, depending if I'm on early or afternoon [shifts], I'll go to the other job. 

"It's a weird one but a wonderful one, especially as I'm young, and I dip into my savings to live the racing dream."

Mathias's experiences in the industry also include being a buyer at the sales.

Last month, when offered by Heart of the South Racing, was the third time Parikarma had been through a ring. She had three wins on the Flat and two over hurdles to her name, although her form had seemingly deserted her in four subsequent starts after winning a claiming hurdle at Leicester on her first run of the year.

Mathias's studying of the catalogue, plus a recommendation, led her to overlook recent runs, however, and the reward was immediate, her £5,612 first prize in the handicap hurdle at Newton Abbot immediately covering the purchase price.

"The first time I bought a racehorse was last year," she says. "I bought two privately. I bought Parikarma because I was looking for something that could get into the Flat and jump races for amateurs; I wasn't looking for a world-beater. 

"I spoke to one of the girls in the yard about her before I bought her, asking if she had a good temperament for an amateur, and she recommended her. 

"My agent helped me narrow down a few, and Parikarma wasn't initially on the list. But I asked if we could add a couple of mares to the list as well."

Parikarma (centre) winning at Brighton in 2022 for Gary Moore and Tom QueallyCredit: Andrew Redington

Some patience had to be exercised in Doncaster as Parikarma's turn in the Goffs UK ring came late in the final session of a three-day sale. Mathias struck the winning bid herself but that was not the end of her day. 

"I narrowed it down to about three of them," she says. "I watched them go through, and she was later on out of all of them, so I thought if she goes for the right price I'll have her, if not I'll leave it. I was at home that day and ended up driving to Doncaster that evening to pick her up."

Parikarma is set to play a key part in Mathias's riding career for the foreseeable future, with the original plan to resell her put on hold. She will inevitably have a revised mark over hurdles when ratings are updated on Tuesday, but there could still be some leeway there, and a return to the Flat is an option too. 

Mathias says: "I'd bought Parikarma to have through the summer and head back to the sales in September, but I came to the conclusion I'm not going to pick up any outside rides so I might as well have a couple of horses in training and still get the enjoyment out of the racing.

"At the moment I try to do it so that I'm not overstretching myself in terms of paying for them. I probably want no more than three at a time."

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