by Desmond Stoneham

Freddie Head started training in 1998 but his career has really taken off in the last three years. On Sunday at Deauville, Goldikova gave him his third Group 1 victory of the season as she defeated three Group 1 winners to capture the $388,525 Prix Rothschild (Fr-G1).
 
The three-year-old Anabaa filly came with a late run to beat 2007 French classic winner Darjina by a half-length with Natagora another two lengths back in third. Group 1 winner Nahoodh finished fourth.

The Prix Rothschild was Head’s fifth Group 1 success. The first race he landed in this category was the 2006 Prix Maurice de Gheest (Fr-G1) with Marchand d’Or, who has since won two more Group 1 races. Head also won the Abu Dhabi Sorouh Prix Jean Prat (Fr-G1) on July 13 with Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid al Maktoum’s Tamayuz.
 
Goldikova has peaked at an opportune time. Earlier in the season, she lived in the shadow of the Aga Khan’s Zarkava, an unbeaten three-year-old filly who easily beat Goldikova in both the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches (Fr-G1) (French One Thousand Guineas) and Prix de Diane (Fr-G1) (French Oaks).
 
Goldikova recorded her first group stakes win in the Prix Chloe (Fr-G3) on July 6, and Head will now point her to either the Prix du Haras de Fresnay-le-Buffard Jacques le Marois (Fr-G1) on August 17 at Deauville or the Prix du Moulin de Longchamp (Fr-G1) on September 7 at Longchamp.

“She had come on a lot since the Diane, both mentally and physically, and I have never had a problem with her,” Head said.
 
The soft ground worked against last year’s winner Darjina but she still put a gutsy performance. She also will be pointed to the Prix du Moulin de Longchamp.
 
Natagora tried to go from pillar to post and appeared to be going well with two furlongs remaining but flattened out in the final furlong.

“I don’t think she really likes Deauville, and she was more nervous on this occasion,” said Pascal Bary, who trains 2008 Stanjamesuk.com One Thousand Guineas (Eng-G1) winner Natagora. “She will now go for the Moulin.”

Desmond Stoneham is a France-based Thoroughbred Times correspondent