Madam Victoria wins the Timaru Stakes 30/1/16
Photo courtesy of Race Images Christchuch
The impressive win by Madam Victoria (High Chaparral[IRE]-Royal Madam) in the recent 1400 metre listed Timaru Stakes was a relief for her connections NZTBA Canterbury/Marlborough/Westland branch members Bevan and Robyn Wilson.
"It was an exciting win and proves that she is back on track," said Bevan Wilson about the lightly raced five-year-old Teri Rae, Riccarton Park trained mare.
"Obviously she likes the sting out of the ground and we were lucky to get a track that suited her so close to home. She has had a few little issues with her knee and hocks so we have looked after her".
"She was always slightly built and we never intended to do a lot with her in her four-year-old spring, then she missed the autumn. She is now heading into the best part of the year for her, and will have a crack at the group three White Robe Lodge Stakes, followed by a wee break and come back for the Easter racing."
Madam Victoria has had 20 career starts for eight wins, and has been out of the money only twice. As a three-year-old she was crowned NZB South Island Filly of the Year, after winning five races from six starts, and that was when she ran fourth in the listed Gore Guineas, and was found to be tying up.
In that season she won the listed NZB Airfreight Stakes, listed NZB Insurance Stakes and the listed NZB Warstep Stakes to secure the filly of the year crown.
As a four-year-old she won fresh up in the spring then raced briefly in open company. In the autumn she ran second in the listed Valachi Downs South Island Breeders Stakes, and at the start of this season won an open handicap over 1400 metres at Ashburton. She raced through the spring up to 2000 metres, brought back to 1600 metres on Boxing Day, then freshened for the Timaru Stakes.
Madam Victoria is the third foal of the Personal Escort (USA) mare Royal Madam, who was bred by the Wilsons, sold to an Australian stud, and then purchased back again.
It all started with Regalatis (Regalis II[GB] – Alomise) who won five races and was placed in the listed Otago RC Champagne Stakes. She left four foals, three to race all winners, but it was her unraced daughter by Noble Bijou(GB), Regal Splendour that features in this story as the third dam of Madam Victoria.
"My Dad and I raced Regalatis back in the late 1970's, actually before I was old enough to legally own her, and she is the fourth dam of Madam Victoria. We had a lot of success with that family but about 10 years ago we sold up a lot of the family including Royal Madam. We kept four fillies, but unfortunately we lost them all, so we decided to buy back Royal Madam.
"It didn't start out that well, her first foal wasn't very big, then she left Royal Governess (by Volksraad[IRE]). She was quite promising but all sorts of things went wrong with her, she won three races and is now one of our broodmares."
Royal Madam's bad luck continued and she lost two foals to Golan(IRE) before leaving Madam Victoria to High Chaparral. She went to Thewayyouare(USA) three times, and the first of those Royal Dapper was injured and destroyed as a three-year-old after winning a race. The second is Born A Royal who is in work at the moment at the Wilson's property in Ashburton, and is due to trial this month, hopefully his bad luck is behind him as he has already suffered a heart fibrillation and been through a fence. The third foal a filly died, and a Raise The Flag(GB) colt had to be put down.
The good news is she is currently in foal to Reliable Man(GB).
"The reason for going there was that he does have the Darshaan(GB)/ Sadler's Wells(USA) cross, although in reverse to High Chaparral. With that in mind we have also sent Madam Victoria's half-sister Royal Governess to Redwood(GB) as he is a son of High Chaparral," Wilson said.
Royal Governess has a Power(GB) colt that will most likely go to the South Island Yearling sale in April and she has a Power colt at foot.
Wilson a former All Black – he played full back from 1977 – 79 and his wife Robyn the daughter of Hall of Fame trainer Rex Cochrane moved to Ashburton in 2014 after farming the family sheep and cattle station at Omakau. They have 90 acres at their new property about six kilometres away from the Ashburton race track.
"We are probably mucking around with more horses than we should be," he enthused, "but while we have good riders to work with like Emily Wilson and Ashley McKay we will continue pre-training and training a few. They both have commitments to their own horses so we are lucky to have them. We prepare them here and if they are good enough they go up to Teri Rae at Riccarton".
"Looking forward, as long as Madam Victoria keeps racing well we will keep her going, she will go to the broodmare paddock eventually though, weight is a big consideration in how long she will race, she may have to go and compete in the North Island as she is hard enough to place as it is."
- Michelle Saba
"It was an exciting win and proves that she is back on track," said Bevan Wilson about the lightly raced five-year-old Teri Rae, Riccarton Park trained mare.
"Obviously she likes the sting out of the ground and we were lucky to get a track that suited her so close to home. She has had a few little issues with her knee and hocks so we have looked after her".
"She was always slightly built and we never intended to do a lot with her in her four-year-old spring, then she missed the autumn. She is now heading into the best part of the year for her, and will have a crack at the group three White Robe Lodge Stakes, followed by a wee break and come back for the Easter racing."
Madam Victoria has had 20 career starts for eight wins, and has been out of the money only twice. As a three-year-old she was crowned NZB South Island Filly of the Year, after winning five races from six starts, and that was when she ran fourth in the listed Gore Guineas, and was found to be tying up.
In that season she won the listed NZB Airfreight Stakes, listed NZB Insurance Stakes and the listed NZB Warstep Stakes to secure the filly of the year crown.
As a four-year-old she won fresh up in the spring then raced briefly in open company. In the autumn she ran second in the listed Valachi Downs South Island Breeders Stakes, and at the start of this season won an open handicap over 1400 metres at Ashburton. She raced through the spring up to 2000 metres, brought back to 1600 metres on Boxing Day, then freshened for the Timaru Stakes.
Madam Victoria is the third foal of the Personal Escort (USA) mare Royal Madam, who was bred by the Wilsons, sold to an Australian stud, and then purchased back again.
It all started with Regalatis (Regalis II[GB] – Alomise) who won five races and was placed in the listed Otago RC Champagne Stakes. She left four foals, three to race all winners, but it was her unraced daughter by Noble Bijou(GB), Regal Splendour that features in this story as the third dam of Madam Victoria.
"My Dad and I raced Regalatis back in the late 1970's, actually before I was old enough to legally own her, and she is the fourth dam of Madam Victoria. We had a lot of success with that family but about 10 years ago we sold up a lot of the family including Royal Madam. We kept four fillies, but unfortunately we lost them all, so we decided to buy back Royal Madam.
"It didn't start out that well, her first foal wasn't very big, then she left Royal Governess (by Volksraad[IRE]). She was quite promising but all sorts of things went wrong with her, she won three races and is now one of our broodmares."
Royal Madam's bad luck continued and she lost two foals to Golan(IRE) before leaving Madam Victoria to High Chaparral. She went to Thewayyouare(USA) three times, and the first of those Royal Dapper was injured and destroyed as a three-year-old after winning a race. The second is Born A Royal who is in work at the moment at the Wilson's property in Ashburton, and is due to trial this month, hopefully his bad luck is behind him as he has already suffered a heart fibrillation and been through a fence. The third foal a filly died, and a Raise The Flag(GB) colt had to be put down.
The good news is she is currently in foal to Reliable Man(GB).
"The reason for going there was that he does have the Darshaan(GB)/ Sadler's Wells(USA) cross, although in reverse to High Chaparral. With that in mind we have also sent Madam Victoria's half-sister Royal Governess to Redwood(GB) as he is a son of High Chaparral," Wilson said.
Royal Governess has a Power(GB) colt that will most likely go to the South Island Yearling sale in April and she has a Power colt at foot.
Wilson a former All Black – he played full back from 1977 – 79 and his wife Robyn the daughter of Hall of Fame trainer Rex Cochrane moved to Ashburton in 2014 after farming the family sheep and cattle station at Omakau. They have 90 acres at their new property about six kilometres away from the Ashburton race track.
"We are probably mucking around with more horses than we should be," he enthused, "but while we have good riders to work with like Emily Wilson and Ashley McKay we will continue pre-training and training a few. They both have commitments to their own horses so we are lucky to have them. We prepare them here and if they are good enough they go up to Teri Rae at Riccarton".
"Looking forward, as long as Madam Victoria keeps racing well we will keep her going, she will go to the broodmare paddock eventually though, weight is a big consideration in how long she will race, she may have to go and compete in the North Island as she is hard enough to place as it is."
- Michelle Saba
