The Group II Queen Mary Stakes (5f) is the showcase event for juvenile fillies at Royal Ascot and overnight the race produced a fascinating winner in the shape of Victorious, a blueblood filly that is blind in one eye.
A homebred for the Coolmore partners, the Aidan O’Brien trained Victorious won her first two starts in Ireland including a G3 and with Ryan Moore to ride the daughter of Wootton Bassett was sent off favourite in the big field of 27 fillies.
She charged away at the finish to win by two lengths over Starspangledbanner filly Senorita Bonita.
“Victorious is a very smart filly. She's blind in one eye, so we were a little bit worried where she was drawn but Ryan was brilliant on her, he reassured her. He took his time, eased into it and took her to her left where she could get a clear run,” said Aidan O’Brien.
“We had the fillies, her and the one in the Albany, and we just tried to split them and everyone thought this filly might be okay over five, but obviously she's ideally six and maybe further.”
“Gorgeous filly, I think the world of Victorious, got a lot of talent,” said Ryan Moore, who has ridden the filly in of three starts to date.
“She's blind in her left eye, so she can't see anything on this side. She's just a sweetheart, she's always shown plenty and is very natural filly. She's so straightforward, absolutely a peak professional.”
Victorious is a half-sister to Group III winner Sugar Island and Group III placed Mother Nature becoming the second stakes-winner among four winners from blueblood Galileo mare Heaven on Earth, a full sister to Champion Fillies Minding (dam of Rosemont Stud’s shuttle sire Henry Longfellow (IRE)) and Tuesday, as well as Group I winner Empress Josephine and Group III winner Kissed by Angels.
She looks another potential G1 winner for Wootton Bassett, who died in Australia last spring at the height of his powers with his final foals to be born here later this year.
There were two additional Group races on the card.
The Group II Queen’s Vase (1m6f) was won by the Joseph O’Brien trained New Bay three year-old colt Limestone, who is a stayer on the rise with four wins from six starts. He was purchased for 210,00 guineas at Tattersalls October Book 1 Yearling Sale.
The Group II Duke of Cambridge Stakes (1m) for fillies and mares was won by the Juddmonte flagbearer Blue Bolt. Trained by Andrew Balding, the four year-old Blue Point mare has won five of eight starts and was a €400,000 purchase for Juddmonte from Arqana Deauville August Yearling Sale.
