Exciting filly Victorious powers to Queen Mary Stakes win as Aidan O'Brien nears landmark 100th Royal Ascot success

Victorious (Ryan Moore) after winning the Queen MaryCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

Click here to add us to your Google preferred sources or find out more here

Victorious has been defying adversity all her life, so it should have come as little surprise that dropping back to five furlongs for the first time did not inconvenience her in the Queen Mary Stakes.

A stunning daughter of Wootton Bassett, Victorious lost the vision in her left eye after developing a cataract long before she arrived at Aidan O'Brien's winner-making academy, but she has been flawless on the racecourse.

Twice a winner at six furlongs before the Queen Mary, Victorious dropped to the minimum distance to avoid a clash with stablemate Sun Goddess in Friday's Albany, and she showed the requisite speed to defeat rivals from Britain, France and the United States in impressive fashion as 100-30 favourite.

"She's a very smart filly," said O'Brien, celebrating his 99th winner at Royal Ascot. "She only has the vision in one eye, so we were a little bit worried where she was drawn [in stall 11], 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. She's probably very classy.

"Ryan got her into a small group and slowly got her out and he reassured her all the time. When he rode her in Naas, he loved her."

Moore, not one to wax lyrical for the sake of it, again shared his high opinion of the winner after the race, speaking in a way that suggested we will be hearing lots more of Victorious this season and beyond.

"She's a gorgeous filly," said the winning rider. "I think the world of her - she's got a lot of talent. She's just a sweetheart, she's always shown plenty and has always been a very natural filly. She has a lot of pace and loads of quality. She's so straightforward, a peak professional."

Senorita Bonita, who cost 900,000gns from the breeze-ups, put in a spirited performance to lead with a furlong to run, but had to settle for silver on only her second start.

“We’ve done everything right and she’s stepped forward from her debut run at Nottingham," said Simon Crisford, who trains Senorita Bonita in partnership with his son Ed. "We couldn’t be more pleased with her, and she’ll keep progressing.

"I do think she’s got the right temperament to keep going forward. She’s not going to be just a two-year-old and we have a lot to look forward to. We’ll probably stick to five furlongs next time. There’s the Molecomb at Goodwood and races like that to consider, and we will just see how we go. We’ve just bumped into a filly that was better than her on the day, but we’ll take that one on again over five when we can."

Having switched Victorious to the Queen Mary, the obvious question now is: how good might Sun Goddess be? The dogs in Ballydoyle have been barking her name since she stormed five lengths clear of her closest rival in a Curragh maiden in May, with most bookmakers now offering just 11-8 for the Albany.

'I thought we were beat' - Joseph O'Brien strikes again after Limestone prevails in photo-finish to Queen's Vase

Ascot Gold Cup pinstickers' guide: runners, tips, key quotes and Graeme Rodway's ratings for every contender