Champion mare Goldikova pointed to Prix de la Foret as a prep race for the Breeders’ Cup Mile come November
The 6-year-old champion bay mare, Goldikova, who hasn’t run on English soil since her Royal Ascot's runner-up finish to now retired Canford Cliffs in the opener, Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes on 14 June, 2011, has run twice since then and that too in France.
There is something about the Breeders’ Cup which gets her going, and this year she will attempt to extend her stellar record in the Breeders’ Cup Mile by winning it for the fourth time in a row.
A race of that stature demands one or two, maybe three, preparation races, just to have that 'feeling good' factor going on, and for a quality mare like her it is just down to going in and coming out as a winner to get things into perspective.
The daughter of Anabaa has been dwelling in France for the past 2 months, and since that period she has gone on to contest in two races, both at Deauville.
Her first start in France after the Ascot disappointment was in Group 1 Prix Rothschild over a distance of 1 mile and a ground labelled good on 31 July, 2011.
Goldikova came out victorious by just a neck over Sahpresa, but it was a much needed win to get things back on track.
From there on it was the Group 1 Jacques Le Marios on 15 August with 1 mile to contend on a soft ground.
In a 12 colts, fillies and mares' field, Goldikova fell a mere length short of the talented Robert Collet trained Immortal Verse.
However, nobody had their hands on their heads, because her connections know her caliber and it is just a matter of time that she gets back on winning ways on a more consistent level.
In the year 2011 alone, Goldikova has had 4 starts with 2 wins and as many times she finished second.
Now the focus is on Prix de La Foret on 2 October at Longchamp, where Goldikova will make her next start as a prep race for the Breeders’ Cup Mile.
She was tentatively pointed to Prix du Moulin, but trainer Freddy Head has decided to skip it for the Longchamp featured.
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