Goldikova strikes with Group One race win number nine at Royal Ascot

• Winner just 7-4 for third triumph at Breeders’ Cup in November • Deauville next port of call for best race mare of past 20 years There comes a moment in the career of any great racehorse when the setting of new targets seems a graceless exercise, and it is a point that Goldikova has probably reached after her victory in the Queen Anne Stakes here yesterday. It was her first success at Ascot, and with nine Group One races now etched on her record, her status as the finest racemare of the past 20 years is now surely secure. One unique achievement is still open to Goldikova, however. No horse has ever been a three-time champion at the Breeders’ Cup meeting in America, and Freddy Head’s mare is now 7-4 to become the first by taking the Mile race for the third year running when the Cup is staged at Churchill Downs in November

View post