2 October 2022
Photo scoopdyga.com
October 2, 2022, ParisLongchamp Racecourse (Paris). – This 54th édition of the Critérium des Pouliches, the Qatar Prix Marcel Boussac (Gr1), looked pretty open with 12 runners, and so Blue Rose Cen (Churchill)'s utter domination was somehow surprising. Placed in 3rd behind the early leaders Shalromy (Shalaa) and Ardent (Frankel), Blue Rose Cen dove into the rail at the opening of the rail, about two furlongs out, and she kept going to extend her lead to 5 lengths on the post.
Always pointed behind the leaders on the rail after being punched by her rider going out of the starting stalls, the Irish raider Gan Teorainn (Saxon Warrior) took a good second place, fetching Never Ending Story (Dubawi), who had slalomed in between horses to place her effort. The two Irish fillies were separated by a short neck on the post, Start Me Up (Pastorius) finishing weel, and also a short neck behind for international French football player Antoine Griezmann.
It was a first Group 1 win for Chantilly trainer Christopher Head, who conditioned the Leopoldo Fernandez Pujals's Yeguada Centurion homebred.
It was a sixth race for Blue Rose Cen, sixth for her debut in May over 6 furlongs, and winner of her two following races, in June at Saint-Cloud over 7 furlongs and then in July at Clairefontaine over the mile. A Listed-second after that, she won again in the Prix d’Aumale (Gr3) -where Start Me Up finished 3rd at 2 lengths- and so she was winning her 4th event in the Critérium des Pouliches.
Blue Rose Cen is the only foal referenced out of Queen Blossom (Jeremy), sold three times on the ring in Ireland, the USA and then in England, where she was sold for £110,000 in December 2018 after winning three races, including two Gr3s in Ireland and the USA.