A royally bred mare, Romanee Conti never quite put it all together on the track, but was stacked with talent

Romanee Conti was bred and raced by Phillip and Peter Vela from their Waikato based stud, and she was trained throughout her career by Laurie Laxon. By Sir Patrick Hogan's super sire, Sir Tristram, Romanee Conti went on to achieve as much fame as a broodmare as she did as a racehorse, producing the powerful 2001 Caulfield and Melbourne Cup winner Ethereal who was trained by Laxon's former wife Sheila. Sir Peter Vela’s Pencarrow Stud is a prolific source of outstanding female families, and perhaps its most esteemed bloodlines are the ones that trace back to Richebourg, the superbly bred daughter of Vice Regal. Richebourg herself won the Gr.3 Tranquil Star Stakes (1600m), but she is best known as a dam, granddam and great-granddam of dozens of outstanding performers over the last few decades. She is the dam of six individual winners, including black-type stars and sensational broodmares Romanee Conti (Sir Tristram) and Grand Echezeaux (Zabeel). Romanee Conti won seven races, four at Group level including the Queen of the Turf Stakes (1500m) in Sydney and the Hong Kong International Cup (1800m). She is the dam of seven winners, most famously thel legendary Ethereal (Rhythm).

Beginning in April 1991, the royally bred Romanee Conti kicked off her racing career with a 2YO Maiden win over 1150m at Waipa. She cleared out from the opposition by three and a half lengths with Lance O’Sullivan aboard. Put out with time to develop physically, the filly returned a much stronger three-year-old in the spring for the Gr.3 Gold Trail Stakes (1200m) at Hastings. With little race day craft the filly finished 3rd, five lengths off the winner, Staring. In September Romanee Conti travelled to Tauherenikau for the Gr.3 Lowland Stakes (1400m) and she duly delivered with Tony Allen steering. She then ran 8th in the Desert Gold Stakes (1600m) at Trentham and could only manage a 4th placing in the NZ 1000 Guineas at Riccarton. After a break Romanee Conti returned back to sprint distances in January 1992 to run 2nd in the DB Twin Cups Sprint (1200m) with Cooksley in the saddle, before Matt Williamson took the ride in the Gr.1 Telegraph (1200m) where she ran 3rd to Morar. After more time to develop the Vela’s then took their horse across the Tasman for some black type features.

In March of 1992 with Cooksley back aboard, she took on a quality field in the Gr.2 Surround Stakes (1400m), at Warwick Farm, running 2nd to Office by a long head. Two weeks later she finished 3rd in the Gr.2 Phar Lap Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill and then returned there in April for the Gr.3 Queen of the Turf Stakes (1600m). With the master, Shane Dye now nominated, Romanee Conti came through to defeat Knight's Contessa with a strong effort. She then proved victorious over 1600m in the Listed Emancipation Stakes at Randwick, beating Hysterical before moving north to Queensland, however it did not prove as successful as Sydney. A 6th in the Queensland Guineas was followed by a 2nd to Hula Grey in the 1200m Listed Fly Quality. Unfortunately at Eagle Farm she couldn't foot it with the class of Rough Habit, finishing 7th in the Gr.1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m).

Returning home and resuming in the spring, Romanee Conti won the Westminster Open Handicap (1200m) fresh up at Te Rapa, cruising to the lead and winning in a sharp time. She failed to foot it with the slick sprinters in the Gr.1 Railway and Telegraph events in January 1993, but she put in a much stronger display as runner up to Calm Harbour in the Gr.1 Thorndon Mile down at Trentham.

Another trip to Rosehill in March saw the mare run a handy fifth before a 3rd in the Queen of the Turf. In April Romanee Conti won her most prestigious trophy in the 1993 Gr.3 Hong Kong International Cup (1800m), in which she beat that year's Caulfield Cup winner Fraar and Urban Sea, the mother of Galileo and Sea The Stars. Back in New Zealand for the Spring, the mare won the Gr.3 WFA Lion Brown Plate (1200m) in October, however she didn't reappear again until February 1994. A 4th in the WFA Terrace Regency was followed by another journey back to the happy hunting ground of Rosehill. After a poor run on a soft track in the 1500m Gr.1 Winfield, she managed a 5th in the Queen of the Turf and a 4th in the Gr.1 All-Aged Stakes. The final race of her short career was a 2nd placing to Durbridge in the Gr.1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) at Randwick on the 9th April 1994. From there she was retired to begin her broodmare duties.

RACE RECORD - 27: 7-5-4

EARNINGS - $1,000,681

G3 Lowland Stakes

G3 Lion Brown Plate

G3 Queen Of The Turf Stakes

G3 Hong Kong International Cup