Pencarrow filly Bonifleur (NZ) (Burgundy) made a super-impressive start to her career with a dominant debut performance in the $25,000 STE Industrial Electrical Maiden (1200m) at Tauranga on Sunday.

After two trials including a second placing at the same venue on January 16, the three-year-old lined up for her first raceday assignment on Sunday and made a big impression for trainer Paul Richards and jockey Sam Weatherley.

Bonifleur jumped only fairly from a midfield starting gate, but scooted forward from there and took the lead inside the first 200 metres of the race.

Toblerone (NZ) (Swiss Ace) and Cardinal Queen (NZ) (Burgundy) moved up alongside her to make a line of three in the lead coming down the side of the track, but by the time they reached the home turn, Bonifleur had shaken them off and was pulling ahead.

Bonifleur asserted her superiority down the straight, opening up a winning margin of two and a quarter lengths over the strong-finishing favourite Cintivee (NZ) (Tivaci).

Bonifleur’s flawless one-start, one-win record has so far produced $14,375 in stakes.

Bonifleur was bred by Pencarrow Thoroughbreds Ltd and is raced by Sir Peter Vela. She is the 137^th winner from 239 runners for the late stallion Burgundy (NZ), who himself was bred and sold by Pencarrow.

Burgundy was a $1.3m yearling purchase by David Ellis at Karaka 2010, and he won five stakes races and placed in the Group One Telegraph (1200m) before retiring to stand at Cambridge Stud. His 11 stakes-winning progeny include Group One stars Maven Belle (NZ), Belle En Rouge (NZ) and this year’s Telegraph winner Mercurial (NZ).

Bonifleur is the third winner from three named foals out of her dam Arpeggio (NZ) (Tavistock), who herself won four races. Arpeggio is a half-sister to the Listed winner Harb (NZ) (Catbird) and the stakes-placed Cortado (NZ) (Sepoy).

Bonifleur’s second dam Macchiato (NZ) (Night Shift) is a half-sister to the stakes winner and Group One-placed Filante Etoile (NZ) (Soviet Star), while another half-sister, Cavendish Belle (NZ) (Thorn Park), is the dam of Group One-winning Burgundy mare Belle En Rouge.

Arpeggio produced one more foal after Bonifleur – a colt by Street Boss that was bought by Hong Kong’s Tartan Meadow Bloodstock for $70,000 during Book 1 of Karaka 2024 last month.