All eyes on budding superstar Zarigana in Boussac

Francis-Henri Graffard’s Zarigana will bid to uphold family honour in the Qatar Prix Marcel Boussac at ParisLongchamp on Sunday.

The filly, owned and bred by the Aga Khan, has an impeccable pedigree as she is by Siyouni and out of Zarkamiya, a Group winner who is herself out of the undefeated Arc heroine Zarkava.

She made her debut at Chantilly in July, strolling to a four-length victory ahead of nine rivals in a seven-furlong maiden to take the first steps in living up to the expectations that inevitably come with such breeding.

She then lined up at Longchamp last month for the Group Three Prix d’Aumale, a race run over the Boussac course and distance that became the scene of another taking victory as she came home three lengths to the good under a hands-and-heels ride from Mickael Barzalona.

The two-year-old now steps up in grade on return to Longchamp and heads the market for the Group One in a field of 11.

“She is very well, everything has gone smoothly and we’re looking forward to Sunday,” said Graffard.

“She won nicely in her two races and it’s big step up in class now, hopefully she can show she is competitive against Group One fillies.

“She won on soft ground the other day so we’re not worried about that, she’s a good looking, well-bred filly with a lot of talent. Fingers crossed for Sunday.”

Opposing Zarigana will be Aidan O’Brien’s Bedtime Story, who blew away her rivals when taking the Chesham at Royal Ascot by nine and a half lengths.

She then landed both the Silver Flash and the Debutante Stakes, albeit by lesser margins, but connections were disappointed to see her finish last of five in the Moyglare Stud Stakes at the Curragh on her most recent outing.

“She just jumped smart and was then a little bit keen in the Moyglare and we think that was the reason for her little bit of a disappointing run,” O’Brien said of the defeat, during which she finished behind stablemate Exactly and Ollie Sangster’s Simmering.

Both Exactly and Simmering reoppose, with January completing the Ballydoyle trio and Simmering a late addition to the field having been supplemented following the Moyglare second and a prior Prix Calvados triumph.

“I think she will be a filly to go a mile next year, but we will see,” Sangster said of the latter.

“She seemed to see out seven furlongs well in both the Moyglare and the Calvados.

“They went a good hard gallop in the Moyglare, but I don’t imagine they will go so hard in France on Sunday. We will find out, but I would suspect she will handle the mile.

“Lake Victoria who won the Moyglare was impressive in the Cheveley Park last week. Nothing else has come out of it yet, but we felt it was a very strong race going into it and I think everyone in the race was quite high on theirs and it was probably the strongest fillies’ race of the year so far at the time. I suspect the form of the Moyglare will continue to work out.”