Corazon delight for George Boughey in France

Another Group Three strike across the Channel in Nick Bradley colours.

Corazon made light of a steep rise in class as she doubled George Boughey’s Group Three tally in the Prix d’Arenberg at ParisLongchamp.

Boughey, a rising star of the training ranks who is enjoying a breakthrough season, set Corazon a tough assignment on just her third career start and turf debut following her maiden win at Lingfield last month.

It proved a wise as well as bold move, though, as Mickael Barzalona had the 8-1 shot prominent throughout on the way to victory by a neck from Dizzy Bizu – with the latter’s fellow joint-favourite Illustrating, another British challenger trained by Karl Burke, the same distance back in third.

Boughey was full of praise for both his winning horse and jockey.

The Newmarket trainer said: “I was pretty keen to say to Mickael before – ‘I know she was ridden for a turn of foot the last time, but that was probably because she was still a bit green, so let’s make plenty of use of her, get her out and get her going’.

“He’s given her a peach of a ride – he’s world-class, isn’t he?

“We’ve been pretty keen to make sure we have the right people on when we travel over there – Ryan Moore gave Oscula a peach for (syndicate owner) Nick (Bradley) as well, and Mickael has done us another favour.”

Oscula, also a juvenile filly, was the yard’s first Group Three winner – in last month’s Prix Six Perfections at Deauville – in the same increasingly familiar black-and-white colours of Nick Bradley Racing.

“It’s great to have another stakes winner for Nick,” Boughey added.

“He’s the biggest supporter of my yard, so we’re very happy.

“It’s going well, and long may it continue.

“They’re pretty cheap horses – I think she cost GBP 11,000, and Oscula cost 4,000 (guineas).

“They’re flying the flag for us – it’s good fun, and we’re enjoying it.”

Boughey was confident beforehand that Corazon was capable of competing at this much higher level, despite her inexperience.

“Her work has always been pretty good,” he said.

“She’s come a long, long way in a very short space of time – (but) for me it looked a good opportunity.

“Obviously there was Karl Burke’s horse with pretty decent form, and there was the French horse Dizzy Bizu rated 100.

“(But) she’d always worked like a filly that should be running in stakes races – so yes, it might have come one step too soon, but she was equal to it.

“She’s always shown plenty of pace at home, and I would imagine she will get six furlongs.”

He has no definite plan in place yet for where Corazon may head next – sensing she may be due a break but tempted too by the possibility of next week’s Flying Childers Stakes at Doncaster’s St Leger meeting, or another trip back to France at some point.

“We’ll just get her home and see how she is,” he said.

“She deserves probably a short break in training, and there are lots of races she can go for towards the end of the season.

“She’ll have a Group Three penalty, so I imagine she’ll go for something a bit hotter.

“It wouldn’t be a surprise to see her get an entry in the Flying Childers – I know that’s a quick back-up, but it is a Group Two.

“It wouldn’t be a surprise to see her get her passport out again (either) – we’ve been doing well out there.

“But we’ll get her home and see – I haven’t really got a concrete plan for her.”

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