Royal Ascot Beckons For Ballydoyle's Victorious After Naas Win
Updated: May 17, 2026 at 1:05 pm
By Tom Frary
Carrying TDN Rising Star status into Sunday's G3 Coolmore Stud Irish EBF Fillies Sprint Stakes at Naas, Ballydoyle's Victorious (Wootton Bassett) lived up to her name by edging Amo Racing's debutante Controlla (Night Of Thunder) to deny another upset on a card full of them up to this point.
Sent off the 10-11 favourite following her debut win over course and distance last month, the relative of the yard's luminaries Minding and Tuesday was made to battle after taking over approaching the furlong pole but responded to Ryan Moore's urgings to prevail by a neck from that 25-1 shot. There was a six-length margin back to Dancing Destiny (Magna Grecia) in third.
Aidan O'Brien used this race for the Albany winners Fairy Godmother and Meditate and that Royal Ascot contest is the next port of call for the winner. “She's still green, but she's lovely,” he said. “Ryan just said he followed two and they died in front of him at halfway and he got left there. She was a bit green when she was in front, but it was good for her. The Albany is the plan for her.”
stars in the @coolmorestud @IrishEBF_ Sprint @NaasRacecourse
Runner-up Controlla also produces a massive performance on debut …
Three of the last four winners of this Group Three dash subsequently landed the Albany at Royal Ascot pic.twitter.com/xruLmM0E27
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) May 17, 2026
Pedigree Notes
Victorious is the fourth foal out of Heaven On Earth (Galileo), a full-sister to the aforementioned Minding, Tuesday and also Empress Josephine all of whom captured Classics for the operation. Minding, whose six wins at the highest level included the 1,000 Guineas and the Oaks, produced the Vincent O'Brien National Stakes hero Henry Longfellow (Dubawi) and is the best of the talented trio out of the Coronation Stakes and Matron Stakes heroine Lillie Langtry (Danehill Dancer).
Heaven On Earth had already produced last year's G3 Staffordstown Stud Stakes winner Sugar Island also by Dubawi and Justify's G3 Give Thanks Stakes runner-up Mother Nature (Justify). She was bred back to the latter sire last year.