900,000gns Senorita Bonita lands Nottingham debut, eyes Royal Ascot

Senorita Bonita did the one thing a 900,000gns breeze-up filly has to do on debut: win. The Victorious Forever-owned juvenile landed the British Stallion Studs EBF Maiden Fillies’ Stakes at Nottingham on Wednesday over 5 furlongs and 8 yards on good ground, digging deep in the last furlong to score by a short head after going off the 10-11 favourite.

The manner of it mattered almost as much as the result. Oisin Murphy had to live with a messy start from the Starspangledbanner filly, who was slowly away, dived left and needed to be switched before she could mount her challenge. Once she found daylight, she finished with real purpose, running on well to lead at the post and give the impression that the engine under the bonnet is far better than the raw evidence of a first run might suggest.

That is why the sales-ring number suddenly looks more like an investment than a headline. Bought for 900,000 guineas at the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up Sale in April, Senorita Bonita had been asked to turn auction promise into racecourse substance straight away, and she answered. Simon Crisford said she was “learning on the job” and had “scope for the future,” while Chris Wall said she was bought to go to Ascot and that the team had to be patient getting her ready. He also described her as “quite wintery” at the sales, which makes the debut look even more efficient.

Royal Ascot is now firmly in the frame, with the Queen Mary Stakes and the Albany Stakes both under consideration. That is not idle talk. The same Nottingham maiden has already produced a Royal Ascot winner in Leovanni, who won this race before going on to land the Queen Mary Stakes, so this was never going to be just another early-season maiden for juvenile fillies. A victory here carries real signal value for a yard with bigger summer ambitions.

Senorita Bonita, bred by Hawes Stud and Churchtown House Stud, is out of Belicious and is by a sire in form. Starspangledbanner has already sired Irish 2,000 Guineas winner Gstaad and Irish 1,000 Guineas winner Precise this year, and Senorita Bonita’s debut added another sharp black-type prospect to that roll call. The price tag demanded talent; Nottingham suggested there is enough there to justify the hype, even if the polish is still to come.