Crisford feeling bullish ahead of Senorita Bonita’s Morny bid

Senorita Bonita is firmly on course for the Prix Morny, with Ed Crisford hoping the high-class juvenile he trains alongside his father Simon can enhance the fine record of the girls in the Deauville Group One.

A sale-topping 900,000 guineas purchase at the Craven Breeze-Up sale, the daughter of Starspangledbanner made a winning start at Nottingham before losing little in defeat when bumping into Aidan O’Brien’s Victorious in the Queen Mary at Royal Ascot, form heavily advertised since.

However, the talented youngster wasted little time getting back to winning ways when claiming the Duchess of Cambridge Stakes in style at Newmarket and will now step up to the highest level on August 23 for a race the Crisfords won with Vandeek in 2023.

Crisford said: “The Prix Morny (August 23) is the plan at the moment and she has come out of her race at Newmarket really well.

“I think she was very green on her first start and then it is always a big step up going to your second race at Ascot, not just the quality you face but the whole experience of it.

“She ran a super race in the Queen Mary and just got beat by a quality horse of Aidan’s and I think she stepped up and improved again when she won the Duchess of Cambridge at Newmarket.

“Deauville is mid-way through August so there is nice timing between the July Festival and the Prix Morny and then after that hopefully she will end up in the Cheveley Park Stakes.”

Senorita Bonita will be taking on colts for the first time on her French adventure but that has proven no barrier to success in recent years, with fillies coming out on top four times since 2016 and the race won by Karl Burke’s Venetian Sun 12 months ago.

Crisford added: “At Newmarket she beat George’s very good filly (Boughey, Libertango) who had won the Albany and the form is all there and now we think we head to the Prix Morny with a really good chance.

“Fillies have a good record in the Morny and last year Venetian Sun won it, but there are a lot of good two-year-olds around and it will be a case of can she now improve on her Group Two win. If she can I think she will be right in the mix for it.”