| Goldikova | |
|---|---|
"She's like a car. When she goes she has the speed and can do anything and at any distance." - Freddy Head. |
|
| Sire | Anabaa (USA) |
| Grandsire | Danzig |
| Dam | Born Gold (USA) |
| Damsire | Blushing Groom |
| Sex | Mare |
| Foaled | 2005 |
| Country | Ireland |
| Colour | Bay |
| Breeder | Wertheimer et Frère |
| Owner | Wertheimer et Frère |
| Trainer | Freddy Head |
| Record | 27: 17-6-3 |
| Earnings | €5,201,564 ($7,176,551) |
| Major wins | |
|
Prix de Toutevoie (2007) Breeders' Cup Mile (2008, 2009, 2010) |
|
| Awards | |
| European Horse of the year (2010) European Champion Older Horse (2009, 2010) French Champion Older Horse (2009) American Champion Female Turf Horse (2009, 2010) |
|
| Horse (Equus ferus caballus) | |
| Last updated on 30 August 2011 | |
Goldikova (foaled 15 March 2005, in Ireland) is a champion Thoroughbred racemare based in France, although she has raced in North America and England. She has won fourteen group one races, with nine victories over colts and geldings. This puts her above the great Miesque as the only European-trained horse to have won more than 10 Group I races since their introduction in the 1970s. Goldikova is the only horse to win three Breeders' Cup Mile races, winning it in 2008, 2009 and 2010.
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She was bred by Alain and Gerard Wertheimer, who handed over her race conditioning to former champion jockey Freddy Head. She has been ridden by Olivier Peslier in all of her race starts.
Goldikova won both of her starts at age two, capturing the Prix de Toutevoie and the Prix de la Lorie at Chantilly Racecourse.
At age three, Goldikova began the 2008 season in April, running monthly thereafter. She started with two seconds and a third and loss to Zarkava (in the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches and the Prix de Diane), then had three consecutive wins. The first one came in the Prix Chloe, followed by the Prix Rothschild, in which she defeated both the French Classic winner, Darjina, and the British Classic winner, Natagora.
Goldikova's third straight victory of the year came in September at Longchamp Racecourse in the Group 1 Prix du Moulin in which she defeated Darjina and Natagora again as well as top Irish colt Henrythenavigator. She again defeated the males in winning the 2008 Breeders' Cup Mile at Santa Anita Park in California and was a finalist for the Eclipse Award's American Champion Female Turf Horse for 2008.
Racing at age four, Goldikova made her first start in May's Prix d'Ispahan, finishing seventh on a soft course. In July, she won England's Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket Racecourse. On 2 August, she won her second consecutive Prix Rothschild at Deauville-La Touques Racecourse. At the same Deauville course on 16 August, Goldikova won her sixth group one race, easily defeating her male counterparts in the Prix Jacques Le Marois at Deauville-La Touques Racecourse.[1] Goldikova then returned to Santa Anita Park to win her second Breeders' Cup Mile, with a different racing style. She was second last for much of the race and at the top of the stretch went five horses wide. Then she changed leads again and surged past Courageous Cat to win in 1:32.26.
Following her 2009 Breeders' Cup win at Santa Anita Park, Goldikova was rested at the Head family's Haras du Quesnay in Normandy until mid February, when she was put back in training at Freddy Head's base at Chantilly Racecourse.
On 23 May, she won her 2010 debut at Longchamp in the Prix d'Ispahan, finishing up 9.20f (1 1/8m)[2] in 1:49.4 while holding off Byword (who subsequently won the Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot) and setting a new stakes record in the process.
In her second start of 2010, on 15 June, Goldikova won the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot, defeating the 2009 winner Paco Boy by a neck in 1:37.74, taking 0.5 seconds off of the stakes record. It was her ninth group 1 victory, and sixth victory against males.
On 1 August, Goldikova competed a three-peat[3] of wins in the Prix Rothschild. After she settled in third throughout the race, Oliver Peslier barely had to ask an effort of her before she raced away from the rest of the field.
On 15 August in the Prix Jacques le Marois, two weeks after the Prix Rothschild win, Goldikova suffered her first defeat of the year, second to Makfi. Her connections believed that it was largely because of the very soft ground, which she has shown her extreme dislike for in the past. However, she beat Paco Boy again for the second time.
On 3 October, Goldikova made her final start before the Breeders' Cup Mile, defeating a field of 16 males in the Prix de la Forêt at Longchamp, including Dick Turpin, Paco Boy, and 1,000 Guineas winner Special Duty. By winning, she broke the record set by Miesque for the most Group/Grade I wins ever by a European mare.
She made history on 6 November 2010 when she became the first horse to win a Breeders' Cup race three times by winning the Breeders' Cup Mile at Churchill Downs and defended her crown a second consecutive time.
On 16 November Goldikova was awarded with two Cartier Racing Awards, Horse of the Year and Champion Older Horse. She became the only horse to win the Champion Older Horse award twice.
Goldikova made her six year old debut on 22 May by winning the Prix d'Ispahan for the second time.
On 14 June Goldikova finished second by ¾ length to Canford Cliffs in the Queen Anne Stakes. Jockey Olivier Peslier was fined for being two pounds overweight when he weighed in.
Goldikova set a record for Group/Grade I wins to 14 on 31 July by winning her fourth consecutive Prix Rothschild.[4]
On 15 August, Goldikova attempted to extend her record of Group/Grade I wins to 15 in the Prix Jacques le Marois at Deauville, France. As noted earlier, Goldikova doesn't take to soft ground, which was the case for this year's Prix Jacques le Marois. Goldikova ran second beaten a length to Group I winner Immortal Verse.[5]
On November 4,2011 Goldikova finshed third, one length behind longshot Court Vision who edged out Turallure by a nose to get first. Goldikova was attempting to win an unprecedented four times in the Breeders Cup Turf Mile. The final time was 1:37.05 over good ground. [6]
| Sire Anabaa (USA) 1992 |
Danzig | Northern Dancer | Nearctic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natalma | |||
| Pas De Nom | Admiral's Voyage | ||
| Petitioner | |||
| Balbonella | Gay Mecene | Vaguely Noble | |
| Gay Missile | |||
| Bamieres | Riverman | ||
| Bergamasque | |||
| Dam Born Gold (USA) 1991 |
Blushing Groom | Red God | Nasrullah |
| Spring Run | |||
| Runaway Bride | Wild Risk | ||
| Aimee | |||
| Riviere d'Or | Lyphard | Northern Dancer | |
| Goofed | |||
| Gold River | Riverman | ||
| Glaneuse |
Placed 3rd in the Breeders Cup Mile on November 5, 2011.