Victorious Shone at Ascot and Confirmed She Is an Exceptional Filly
- Turf Diario
- Jun 17
- 3 min read
The daughter of Wootton Bassett, who has sight in only one eye, maintained her unbeaten record by winning the Queen Mary Stakes (G2) with immense authority; it marked the 99th Royal Ascot victory for Aidan O'Brien
BERKSHIRE, England (Special for Turf Diario).– There are stories that transcend the result. And that of Victoriousis already one of them.
The Aidan O'Brien representative maintained her unbeaten record intact this Wednesday by capturing the Queen Mary Stakes (G2), one of the main engagements for 2-year-old fillies at Royal Ascot, but she did so carrying a particularity that makes her performance even more valuable: she competes with vision in only her right eye.
Far from representing a limitation, that circumstance seemed completely eclipsed by the immense talent of the daughter of Wootton Bassett, who unleashed a remarkable turn of foot in the final stages to defeat Senorita Bonita(Starspangledbanner) by 2 lengths, while the American challenger Ruiva (Munnings) completed the trifecta just a nose behind the runner-up.
Sent off as the 10/3 race favorite, Victorious arrived at Ascot preceded by two consecutive victories at Naas over 1200 meters and fully answered expectations, establishing herself as one of the leaders of the new European generation.
Ridden by Ryan Moore, the filly was settled at the back of the group that advanced along the stands' side of the track. The jockey let the natural speed of the race do its work and only began to ask for a serious effort as they approached the final 400 meters.
When Moore steered her toward the outside, she quickly found room to hit her stride. The response was immediate. Victorious accelerated with immense authority, caught the leaders, and ended up drawing clear comfortably.
"She is a filly of tremendous class," O'Brien commented. "She only has vision in one eye, so we were a bit worried about how the race would unfold, but Ryan was brilliant. He let her find her spot, switched her off, and when the decisive moment came, she responded exactly as we expected."
The trainer further explained that the loss of vision occurred when she was very young.
"She came from Coolmore, and we believe she lost her sight due to a cataract or some similar issue when she was a foal. Even so, she always showed immense quality. And when a horse has quality, they are very difficult to beat," he noted.
For Moore, who had already shone the previous day aboard Mission Central (Wootton Bassett) in the King Charles III Stakes (G1), the winner possesses exceptional qualities.
"We think an awful lot of her. She has an enormous amount of talent," the jockey explained. "She can't see anything on the left side, but she is a lovely filly, very natural, extremely fast, and absolutely professional."
Although the Queen Mary is contested over 1000 meters, both O'Brien and Moore hinted that Victorious's future could lie over longer distances.
"We all believed she could handle the five furlongs, but I honestly think she is better over six, and possibly later on even over longer trips," the trainer anticipated.
Behind the winner, Senorita Bonita confirmed her promise for the Simon Crisford team, which was highly satisfied despite the defeat: "We couldn't be happier. She has progressed a lot since her debut, and I think she has the ideal temperament to keep evolving. We were beaten by an exceptional filly," the trainer summarized.
There was also praise from the American camp of Wesley Ward for Ruiva, who put in a huge performance in just her second public outing.
"She is a beautiful and very talented filly. The one that beat us is really good, and there are no complaints. We are also going to improve from this experience," Ward stated.
While Royal Ascot continues to discover new stars, Victorious left an impression difficult to forget. Unbeaten in three starts and capable of overcoming an adversity as unique as the loss of vision in one eye, the daughter of Wootton Bassett seems destined to become one of the most important names of the European 2024 generation. For Aidan O'Brien, it marked his 99th victory at Royal Ascot. Impressive.
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