'It wasn't a stroke of genius!' – how a Group 1 winner bred by happy accident boosted an emerging powerhouse

It has been 18 years since Nurlan Bizakov purchased his first batch of yearlings. A steep learning curve has followed, with plenty of inevitably harsh lessons learned along the way, but the Kazakhstan-born businessman now owns a sizeable racing string, a significant broodmare band, burgeoning stallion roster and several stud farms across Britain and France. And, as of Sunday, he is also a multiple Group 1-winning owner-breeder. 

Bizakov’s latest top-flight triumph was gained in the Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville, in which the unbeaten Lazzat stormed home fully three lengths clear of a high-class field. Sunday proved to be a memorable day for the owner as fellow homebred Ramadan got his career firmly back on track with victory in the Group 3 Prix Daphnis. 

“Nurlan is still buzzing about it and will be for a long time, because you never know when the next day like that will come along,” says Bizakov’s long-serving stud manager Tony Fry. “To do it where you’re putting down roots and with two homebreds, it made it a very special day for him.”