by Renée Geelen (Bluebloods, August 2024)

Pencarrow Stud’s foundation mare, Romanee Conti (Sir Tristram-Richebourg, by Vice Regal), was immortalised with a sculpture created by New Zealand artist Michelle Farrell. The story of Romanee Conti begins in 1982 when the Vela brothers went to the Wrightson Bloodstock yearling sale and purchased a yearling filly from Chequers Stud.

The statue was created just after Ethereal won the Cup,” Pencarrow Stud’s Leon Casey said. Coincidentally, he worked for Chequers Stud when Richebourg sold as a yearling, moving to Pencarrow Stud in 1988.

By Vice Regal, the yearling filly was the fifth foal from Mary Mead (Wilkes) who had won twice in her racing career and was established as a broodmare. Mary Mead’s first foal was 1976 Listed Werribee Cup winner Demerara (Sucaryl), and her current three year-old (at the time), Norma Rae (Sucaryl), had just won a city race at Morphettville.

Notably, Mary Mead’s third stakes winner came after Richebourg and was a full brother, two years younger, named Federalism who won the 1985 Listed Mercedes-Benz H (now the Listed MRC Gothic S.) and placed in the 1986 Gr1 VATC Elders Mile (now Gr1 MRC Toorak H.) behind Canny Lass and Lockley’s Tradition. For the pedigree fans, Norma Rae went on to produce Listed winner In My View (Vice Regal) who became the dam of Gr1 BMW Stakes and Gr1 Ranvet Stakes winner Stony Bay (Dahar).

Sent to trainer Jim Moloney, Richebourg peaked as an autumn three year-old where she won the Gr3 Tranquil Star Stakes and three other races, and when she retired to stud, she had amassed five wins from 21 starts. Sent to Sir Tristram, she produced a colt, Sir Rhine, who was a winner and ran fourth in the Gr1 West Australian Derby. Her second foal, La Tache (Danzatore) wasn’t much as a racehorse but became the granddam of Gr2 winner Bellini Rose (Faltaat) who is the dam of Gr1 South Australian Derby winner Howard Be Thy Name (Redoute’s Choice).

It was Richebourg’s third foal who would put her on the map – the 1988 filly by Sir Tristram who the Vela brothers named Romanee Conti.

Richebourg’s fourth foal, Regal Riches (Gold and Ivory) was unraced, while her fifth foal Summer Wine II (Zamazaan) won six races in Malaysia and placed in their Listed Gold Cup. Richebourg’s sixth foal was still born, and her seventh, Bordeaux (Sir Tristram) went to Hong Kong without much fanfare, placing there.

Technically Richebourg’s best foal was her eighth foal, Grand Echezeaux (Zabeel) who won the Gr1 Australasian Oaks and became the dam of Gr1 winner Darci Brahma and Gr3 winner Burgundy, both of whom are Gr1 producing stallions. Her next two foals were winners, Braca (Carnegie) and Our Echezeaux (Zabeel) who went on to produce Gr2 winner Dolmabache (Redoute’s Choice), Gr3 winner Pure Elegance (Redoute’s Choice) and Listed winner Cote D’Or (Makfi). Richebourg’s final foal, Perrine (Zabeel) was unplaced.

Back to Romanee Conti – there’s a reason why the Vela brothers encapsulated her with a statue. Romanee Conti, like her dam, was a very good three year-old. In New Zealand, trained by Laurie Laxon, she won the Gr3 Lowland Stakes, was fourth in the Gr1 New Zealand One Thousand Guineas, and then in the autumn, she ran third in the Gr1 Telegraph H., a sprint against the older horses, before heading to Australia.

In Australia, she won the 1992 Gr3 Queen Of The Turf Stakes (which was upgraded to Gr2 four years later, then upgraded again to Gr1 level in 2005), and the Listed Emancipation Stakes (currently run at Gr2 level).

At four she won a Listed race in New Zealand before coming back to Australia for another crack at the Queen Of The Turf, finishing third, and then she was sent to Hong Kong for an ambitious run at the 1992 Hong Kong International Cup, which was run in April 1993 because an equine virus had caused the postponement of the original December timeslot.

“The real story is that the Hong Kong Cup was an incredible emotional event for Peter and Philip. They were both there when she won and were great mates with Laurie and Sheila (Laxon). They’d all started out together when Peter was a teacher at Ngaruawahia High School and Laurie was a carpenter at the works, so the win was very personal for all of them. It was an incredible field that she beat too. Her dam was already showing the signs that she’d become the key foundation mare for us, a blue hen family, and then when Ethereal won, with Sheila involved still, it all tied together to make sense to immortalise,” said Casey.

Romanee Conti won the Hong Kong International Cup of 1992 (but in 1993). Gr1 Caulfield Cup winner Fraar (Topsider) ran second, with Listed California Cup Classic winner Charmonnier (Batonnier) in third. In fourth was Freak Toss – Motivation (HK) (Egg Toss) who won the race the following year, while fifth was Hong Kong Derby winner River Verdon (Be My Native) (who would win three Hong Kong Gold Cups, and had won the Hong Kong International Cup in 1991).

And in sixth was a mare most of us recognise, Urban Sea (Miswaki) who would go on to win the 1993 Gr1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe later that year and produce eight stakes winners including Gr1 winners Galileo, Sea The Stars, My Typhoon, and Black Sam Bellamy.

Romanee Conti returned to New Zealand where she added another Gr3 win as a spring five-year-old. All up, she won seven of her 27 starts with a further nine placings and raced in three different countries.

“It was a meeting of a whole lot of factors. It’s unique for two brothers to be involved in breeding for so long. They were also early shareholders in Sir Tristram, who had a big influence on the farm and Richebourg’s family. There are two images from the Hong Kong Cup that are special. One is a video of the two brothers watching the win together, and the other surrounds the trophy. Philip was advised not to lift the trophy as it was too heavy for one person. It took two people to lift it up onto its stand. When Romanee Conti won, he stepped forward, grabbed the trophy and pushed it above his head with one hand.”

Sent to Marscay for her first mating, Romanee Conti had a colt who remained unnamed, then she went to second season sire Jetball producing the winner Romanee St. Vivant.

In 1996, for her third mating she was covered by both Maroof (missed) and first season sire and USA Champion 2YO Colt Rhythm (Mr. Prospector). Her filly by Rhythm was born in 1997 and named Ethereal by the Vela brothers.

Trained by Sheila Laxon, she won the Gr1 Queensland Oaks at three, and the Gr1 Caulfield Cup and Gr1 Melbourne Cup at four. She rounded out her four year-old season with a win in the Gr1 BMW Stakes in the autumn and was crowned Champion Stayer in both Australia and New Zealand. Ethereal would become an excellent broodmare for Pencarrow Stud, with Listed winner Seraphim (Rip Van Winkle) and Gr1 NZ Derby placed winner Uberalles (Giant’s Causeway), as well as the unraced Empyrean, dam of Listed winner Pericles (Rubick) (not to be confused with Australian Gr2 winner Pericles (Street Boss)), and the unraced Sopra Tutto, dam of Gr2 winner Supera (Savabeel) and dual Gr3 winner Eleanora (Makfi), who won the race named for her granddam, the Gr3 Ethereal Stakes, and went on to be the dam of Listed winner Ethereal Star (Snitzel).

Romanee Conti would leave five more winners after Ethereal; Prince Golf (Entrepreneur), Le Bec Fin (Tale Of The Cat), Qudraat (Marju), Madeleine Noblet (No Excuse Needed) and Latinus (Johar). Between Qudraat and Madeleine Noblet, Romanee Conti produced Velvet and Satin (Carnegie), a filly who didn’t win in ten starts but did run third in the Gr1 New Zealand One Thousand Guineas behind Dorabella and Princess Coup. Velvet and Satin has been an excellent broodmare, producing Listed winner Bespoke (Pins).

Romanee Conti’s only other named foal, Orquidea (Montjeu) was placed twice in only four starts.

All up, Romanee Conti produced ten foals, nine to race for six winners led by Ethereal. The family continues to produce stakes winners for Pencarrow Stud and is a true foundation family for the farm. To have a sculpture of Romanee Conti shows, not only her importance to Pencarrow Stud, but also the emotional connection to racing from the Hong Kong International Cup to a Melbourne Cup winning daughter.