Pedigree details

Father: Robin des Champs

Mother: Vega IV

Mother’s father: Cap Martin

Breeder: Pierre Rives

Born: April 11, 2004

Race record and fact file

Races: 24

Wins: 16

Owners: Bearn Arabians (in France), Hammer & Trowel Syndicate

Trainers: Bertrand de Watrigant (in France), Willie Mullins

Quevega Profile

Quevega was one of many hugely successful French imports to run for Willie Mullins, but his accomplishments will likely remain unique. His career has hinged around just two races, the David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival and the World Series Hurdle at the Punchestown Festival. As well as making Festival history with her six victories at Cheltenham, she also became the first horse to win the same hurdle race six times. While the Cheltenham race (which was promoted to grade 1 the year after she last won it) has proven time and again to be the best mare, the Punchestown race that she won five times, showed she was a top-class stay against all comers. Therefore, it was often regretted that she never faced Big Buck’s who dominated the remaining hurdles in Great Britain during the same period, but perhaps not by Ruby Walsh, the two horses’ regular partner – he won in 11 of his 13 races over Quevega – who should have chosen between them. A well-bred mare from a French family without a thoroughbred, Quevega was genuine and consistent and did honor to her relationships. She is commemorated with a 3rd year mare hurdle race in Punchestown in February.

2007/08 season

Quevega has competed in six races in French bumpers and won the last three in the fall of 2007, two at Vichy and one at Durtal. Switched to Willie Mullins over the winter, she made an impressive hurdle debut for him beating a large field of maidens in Punchestown and was equally impressive beating older novices at Gowran next time by demolishing the field of more than 15 lengths. She still had a “capital P” attached to her Timeform rating, indicating the likelihood of significant improvement, when she contested the four-year Class 1 Championship at the Punchestown Festival, but finished last of nine finishers. However, it seemed worth apologizing for this very disappointing descent, as she had sweated beforehand and encountered much firmer conditions than on her first two hurdles starts.

Quevega duly resumed her progress on her next start when, after the end of the Irish season, she was sent back to France to compete in the Group 1 Prix Alain du Breil at Auteuil against the best young French hurdles. She was beaten to four lengths in third behind the French filly Grivette, with her stable mate Hurricane Fly a place ahead of her.

2008/09 season

Quevega made an impressive comeback in a minor event at Punchestown in February before facing 20 other mares for just the second race of the David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival. Despite being a much stronger competition than the inaugural race, Quevega, heavily supported as a 2/1 favorite, made short work of her rivals, coming out quickly when she was shaken by turning around for home and winning 14 lengths behind United. Although it was a smart effort, even with the mare’s allowance, she had a bit to find in shape with the winner of the Champion Hurdle Punjabi in the Champion Hurdle at Punchestown just after the end of the British season. But with her team on a roll in the meeting, Quevega was sent off from the 2/1 favorite with the winner Aintree Hurdle Solwhit. She didn’t win, but she ran the best race of her career to date, scoring 156, staying third, three lengths behind Solwhit and Punjabi who were only separated by a short header. Once again, she ran at Auteuil after Punchestown but was injured finishing the peloton in the Prix La Barka.

Major race won

• David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle, Cheltenham

2009/10 season

This injury kept Quevega off the track until the 2010 Cheltenham Festival, but she started a strong 6/4 favorite to win her second mares hurdle and quashed any doubts about her well-being with a decisive victory of four and a half lengths. on Carole’s Legacy, with Voler La Vedette, which was previously its only real rival in form, third. Her only other outing of the season was again at the Punchestown Festival and, crossing the three miles for the first time, she was lucky for the third time in the reunion. The World Series Hurdle wasn’t the strongest of the Tier 1 competitions, while the lack of a good gallop didn’t really make it a test of endurance and Quevega came in last under Paul Townend, replacing Ruby. Walsh, injured, still on the bridle. She quickly imposed herself to win by three lengths against the British raider Bensalem.

Great races won

• David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle, Cheltenham
• World Series Hurdle, Punchestown

season 2010/11

By now, Quevega looked like an interesting rival for the dominant hurdler Big Buck’s, but, instead of facing him in Cheltenham, Quevega’s 2010/11 campaign was a repeat of the previous one. Once again, she didn’t need to show her best form to win the Mares’ Hurdle for the third time – again without a race first – knocking out the odds this time around and winning at ten lengths. from novice Sparky May. Quevega also clinched the odds by winning the World Series Hurdle for the second time, though a big mistake momentarily threatened what appeared to be an impressive victory. However, she recovered for a fairly comfortable success of a length and a quarter of her teammate Mourad, who had finished third the previous year, with Coral Cup winner Carlito Brigante in third.

Great races won

• David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle, Cheltenham
• World Series Hurdle, Punchestown

season 2011/12

A clash with Big Buck’s remained enticing, but Quevega’s well-established routine was maintained as she made her late but successful reappearance in the David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle, becoming the first mare to win four times at the Cheltenham Festival. As in previous years, she won with plenty of cash in hand, coming home four steps ahead of Kentford Gray Lady to clinch the odds in a race that turned into a sort of sprint in the phases. finals. In his bid for a third World Series Hurdle at Punchestown, Quevega again faced off against Voler La Volette who had finished fourth in the same race the previous year, as well as third behind Quevega at Cheltenham in 2010. However, Voler La Vedette had improved since then, and had given Big Buck a brief scare before he landed his fourth World (Stayers’) Hurdle in Cheltenham. Quevega, a shot at odds, and Voler La Vedette were the first two to bet at Punchestown, receiving 7 lbs instead of 5 lbs from their male rivals following a change in mare allowance that matched the existing weight concession in Brittany. In much more trying conditions than for Quevega’s first two World Series victories, the two mares were the only ones still in bridle to make it home, and the patiently mounted Quevega looked better than ever as she sided. After the last one, he set off to win in a very impressive way by five and a half lengths with a lot to spare, with Mourad back in third.

Great races won

• David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle, Cheltenham
• World Series Hurdle, Punchestown

season 2012/13

The news that Big Buck’s would miss an offer to win a fifth World Hurdle due to injury prompted bookmakers to promote Quevega to ante-post frontrunner for the race. Willie Mullins even hinted that she could compete in both the Mares’ Hurdle and the World Hurdle two days later. But, come the Festival, Quevega stuck with his usual routine and became the first horse since Golden Miller – winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup every year from 1932 to 1936 – to win more than four races at the meeting. Quevega’s role in a hat-trick on day one for his team also made Mullins the most successful Irish coach in Cheltenham festival history. But Quevega’s historic victory was far less straightforward than his previous race victories. Catastrophe almost struck when she cut her heels in the middle of the peloton at the top of the hill and she still had a long way to go to play the sixth turn for the house, but found something to stick the France-trained underdog Sirene d’Ainay on the run-in and win by a length and a half, a winning margin much smaller than his previous four wins.

Voler La Vedette had retired earlier in the year, but Quevega appeared to face a tough opponent at Solwhit in his attempt to win a fourth World Series Hurdle. In Big Buck’s absence, Solwhit had won both the World Hurdle and the Liverpool Hurdle and, as in their first clash at the Punchestown Festival more than two thousand four years earlier, the pair could hardly be divided in the bet in what promised to be one of the highlights of the meeting. But Solwhit was taken out on vet advice early on, leaving Quevega with the easier task of beating Sivola’s fourth World Hurdle Reve by five lengths under the hands and heels after doing much of the race.

Great races won

• David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle, Cheltenham
• World Series Hurdle, Punchestown

2013/14 season

Quevega competed in the two races she last made her own at the age of ten in 2014. Already in the history books at Cheltenham, she became the first horse to win six times in the reunion by winning the David Nicholson mares. ‘Hurdle once again, giving his coach what he described as the highlight of his season. Like the year before, Quevega had to dig deep at one point, but responded well when it mattered and stayed to pass teammate Glens Melody in the final 100 yards, proving a value above her winning margin of three. quarters in length. . But on her last departure to Punchestown, she was beaten for the first time in nearly five years. She was caught in a tactical race, finishing wisely after conceding the first set to Jetson with 20/1 shots, but losing a length and a quarter, although once again she had Glens Melody behind her. in fourth position.

Major race won

• David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle, Cheltenham

Quevega at stud

Quevega’s first foal Princess Vega, who is by Beat Hollow, made a successful start to his career, for the same connections as his dam, when he landed a first hurdle at Tramore in 2019.