George Boughey: 'If they were revved up to win they wouldn't keep on improving'

For National Racehorse Week, the Racing Post has visited racehorses at five different stages of their lives. In part two, Lewis Porteous investigates what life is like for two-year-olds from the perspective of George Boughey's Oscula.

If any horse deserves special attention at George Boughey's yard in Newmarket, then the one who provided her trainer with a first victory at Group level is surely it.

Getting a full shampoo-and-suds wash down by Boughey shortly after 8am, Oscula certainly appears to be getting the A-list treatment. Yet it soon becomes apparent that she is not being singled out, with each of her stablemates also enjoying a cooling wash down on a sticky morning as they return from their exercise on Warren Hill.

Oscula, an unwanted yearling who developed into one of the leading two-year-old fillies in Britain, is certainly enjoying being pampered as Boughey is encouraged to "get the foam going" by the Racing Post's resident photographer Edward Whitaker.

She went out with first lot at 6.15am and after her morning wash and photo shoot is turned out in one of the stable's paddocks, where it does not take long before she is sprawled on her back and covering her pristine coat in dust and dirt like a true prima donna.

"She's turned out every day after first lot and has an hour in the paddock," explains Laura Toller, Boughey's partner and as close as anyone in the yard to Oscula. "We try and get as many as we can in the field. We've got two pens and have just bought three more and we've got three paddocks. We try to get them all out as much as possible as it keeps them happy. Oscula is so laid-back and loves being turned out."

At this point Oscula casually walks over to say hello before taking a pick of grass, and even as second lot congregate before making the 25-minute walk to Warren Hill, she is a picture of contentment.

"A happy horse is always a better horse," says Toller. "A lot of people comment on how the horses are so laid-back here and I think it's because we have a relaxed atmosphere. We wouldn't be a stressy yard; it's such a laid-back place to work and I think that helps."

Oscula relaxes in her paddock at homeCredit: Edward Whitaker

On Oscula, she continues: "To ride she's the easiest, quietest horse ever and she's been so straightforward. She's never been difficult but she's quite grumpy around her food and when you go to feed her, it's drop the bowl and run!"

For a filly who has won the Woodcote Stakes at Epsom, finished third in the Albany at Royal Ascot and landed a Group 3 at Deauville last month, you might expect Oscula to have come with a big price tag but she was initially unsold as a yearling.

Owner Nick Bradley, a man with a proven track record when it comes to unearthing rough gems, saw enough of a sparkle to sign the daughter of 2,000 Guineas winner Galileo Gold for his racing club and she has done nothing but shine since arriving with Boughey at Saffron House Stables on Newmarket's Hamilton Road.

Oscula and Boughey, who is sprinting up the training ranks in just his third year as trainer, are ideally matched and while Boughey's mobile phone never gives him a moment's rest, a more laid-back trainer you will not meet.

Juggling owners around three visits to the gallops, not to mention trying to track entries and confirm runners, Boughey seems to invent time to squeeze it all in and not once during a hectic morning does he come close to raising his voice in annoyance. No wonder his biggest headache is finding space as new horses continue to join the team.

"She was unsold as a yearling and didn't make 4,000gns," says Boughey of Oscula. "They were going to breeze her but Nick was buying a few horses privately in the winter and she just turned up with us.

"She was still immature at the time and if you start pushing them too hard too soon, you end up with problems physically and mentally. I don't start training them until February but she was a professional from the start and knew her job.

"She's as straightforward a horse as I've ever trained and is sound physically and mentally. On a Sunday I'd walk her out in just a head collar at the end of the morning to put her in the field. If you could design a horse to train, it would be her."

Laura Toller leads a relaxed Oscula to her boxCredit: Edward Whitaker

Oscula has seen the track seven times so far in her first season and is not finished yet. That may appear to be a busy campaign, but it is not by accident that Boughey has a strike-rate beyond 20 per cent with his juveniles this season. What is more, the majority are improving with racing, with Oscula and fellow Group 3 winner Corazon the perfect examples.

"People ask how we manage to run the horses so often and I think it's because they're very relaxed and not overly exerting themselves when they shouldn't be. They're not over-trained," Boughey says.

"We've had a lot of success with two-year-olds and people think they are revved up to go and win but they're not. They are well schooled but if they were revved up to win they wouldn't keep on improving all year.

"We try to buy and be sent the right horses. I hope the ones we've bought at the last couple of sales are going to be ready to go early next season. If you go out with a target to buy that kind of horse, hopefully it adds up."

He continues: "The biggest thing I wanted to do this year was to make an impact at the start but also have a big finish. I bet everyone behind the scenes was thinking: 'He'll be cooked by August.' But a massive thing in my mind was to make sure I wasn't."

Elaborating on his winning system, he says: "I think we found a routine that works for the horses in my first year whereas it can take people a lot longer to work out what they want to do. It seems to work at the moment and I don't really see why we'll change it.

"Since Oscula ran for the first time, I think I've only galloped her once or twice. She's never done any fast work, she just runs. If she's sound, happy, healthy and well, I said to Nick we'll run her when we can and she's just kept improving on the track."

Running often and faster than her rivals is something Oscula has done to great effect this year, going from a Band D race at Kempton in May to a Group 3 winner in France, via Oaks day at Epsom and Royal Ascot. It has been quite a ride.

"It's amazing," says Boughey. "They're a great group of people who own these horses and I imagine there will be people abroad buying into Nick's horses. He makes it very accessible and anyone can have a share. It changes people's lives.

"We were at Epsom on Oaks day and had a winner [with Oscula in the Woodcote] and a second [with Mystery Angel in the Oaks] and there were fully grown men in floods of tears. He makes dreams happen."

Oscula storms to victory in the Woodcote Stakes at Epsom in JuneCredit: Pool

Oscula has certainly made Boughey's dreams come true, with her victory in the Group 3 Prix Six Perfections at Deauville a landmark first at Group level for the 29-year-old, although Epsom gets first mention when he's asked for his personal highlight.

"It was widely documented on Oaks day that I'd never actually been to Epsom on a raceday before," he says with a hearty chuckle. "I went for Breakfast With The Stars as Mystery Angel galloped but I never went as a kid or when I worked for Hugo Palmer.

"It was a pretty special day to have one of the highest-rated two-year-olds in the country at the time win the Woodcote and then watch Mystery Angel finish second in the Oaks."

When she's not at the track, Oscula's day starts with breakfast at 5am, followed by a little time to relax before she gets warmed up on the walker. She's then tacked up for first lot and tackles her two daily canters up Warren Hill around 30 minutes later, before returning for a wash down, a quick drink in her stable and then out into the paddock to relax. She comes to the paddock gate of her own accord when she's ready to go back to her stable.

Boughey likes to split feeds into four smaller portions rather than three that are more substantial, although the fact Oscula "eats like a lion" means she would be happy either way. Lunch is at 11.30am and after head lad Adi Rogers inspects the string for anything concerning, a further scoop is served around 3.15pm.

From there Jane Stanford brushes Oscula down and picks out her feet and once groomed she goes out for a final stretch and pick of grass in the paddock. Teatime is at 5.30pm and then it's time to rest in her freshly made bed. No wonder she's a happy girl.

"I actually looked after her dad Galileo Gold, so she's quite special to me," says Stanford, who has dedicated her life to the racing industry. "She can pull faces sometimes but she's not aggressive and is very nice.

"I only joined the yard in May and when I had my name put against her after she won the Woodcote I was really pleased. She clearly has a lot of ability and I love her.

"They're all friends – we work with them seven days a week and I love being around the horses."

On the care and attention the horses at Saffron House receive from the likes of Stanford, Rogers and Toller, Boughey says: "I've tried to do quite a bit with videos on social media because I want people to see what really happens and how much attention they get. They're living in the best accommodation and looked after by highly skilled people. I don't think it's publicised enough."

Oscula and Ryan Moore after winning the Prix Six PerfectionsCredit: Racing Post/Scott Burton

Oscula has just returned to the yard following a mid-season break across town in a quiet paddock with Group-placed stablemate Hellomydarlin, and Boughey hopes it will set her up well for a grandstand finish to the season.

"She's just had five or six days away from the yard," says her trainer. "There is no denying it's nice for them to be turned out in the sun here but actually leaving the yard is like going on holiday.

"I could see this morning when Oscula was training that she's back and ready to go. She's not a gross filly and has quite a light frame, so she won't take huge amounts of getting ready again. She'll have a busy enough autumn."

Mapping out her big-race targets, he says: "She'll go for the Group 2 Rockfel next at Newmarket on Friday week and if it comes up soft she'll run a massive race.

"The Group 1 Prix Marcel Boussac on Arc day will hopefully be the target after that. She's still quite immature and everything points to her as a three-year-old."

His last words open up all sorts of possibilities for the future but for the time being Oscula is a shining example that a happy horse is indeed a better horse.

Read part three of our National Racehorse Week series, looking at superstars with John and Thady Gosden and Stradivarius, from 6pm on Tuesday. If you would like to take part in the many events of National Racehorse Week go to nationalracehorseweek.uk for more details.

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Catch up with part one here:

The Foal: 'If I was a horse living in a paddock like this, I'd think life was pretty good'

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