NEWS
Goldikova, Stacelita to meet in Prix d’Ispahan at Longchamp
Posted: Thursday, May 20, 2010 4:46 PM
Goldikova (Ire), reigning champion turf female in the U.S. and champion older female in Europe, and French classic winner Stacelita will face off on Sunday in the $375,900 Prix d’Ispahan (Fr-G1) at Longchamp.
Each will make their season debut in the 1,850-meter (9.20-furlong) turf race.
Alain and Gerard Wertheimer’s homebred Goldikova launched her four-year-old campaign last season in the Prix d’Ispahan and finished a lackluster seventh behind Never On Sunday (Fr) on turf rated as yielding. Jockey Olivier Peslier said her performance was due to neither the testing ground nor distance and thought perhaps something may have been amiss with the filly. Trainer Freddie Head disagreed, thinking the spongy surface may have been to blame.
The Anabaa filly roared backed to win three consecutive Grade 1 races in England and France before unleashing a rousing stretch run to surge past Justenuffhumor and runner-up Courageous Cat and win a second straight edition of the TVG Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) during the Oak Tree meeting at Santa Anita Park on November 7. She was honored with the Eclipse Award as champion turf female and the Cartier Award as Europe’s champion older female.
Goldikova’s ultimate goal this season is a third consecutive victory in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, which will be run in November at Churchill Downs.
Stacelita won five of six starts last season, including the Prix de Diane (Fr-G1) (French Oaks), Qatar Prix Vermeille (Fr-G1), and Montjeu Coolmore Prix Saint-Alary (Fr-G1), before suffering her only career defeat when she finished seventh behind eventual European Horse of the Year Sea The Stars in the Qatar Prix d’Arc de Triomphe (Fr-G1) on October 4 at Longchamp to conclude the season.
The four-year-old Monsun filly is trained by Jean-Claude Rouget for Ecurie Monastic and U.S-based Martin Schwartz.
Other expected to start include Godolphin’s Alexandros, who won the Dubai International Al Rashidiya (UAE-G3) in February and followed with runner-up finish in the Derrinstown Stud Haatel Jebel Hatta (UAE-G2) in early March. He failed to place in the Dubai Duty Free (UAE-G1) on the Emirates Airline Dubai World Cup (UAE-G1) card on March 27, finishing 14th.
Khalid Abdullah’s homebred Byword will bid for a third straight win this season and first at the top level. He enters off a nose victory in the Prix du Muguet (Fr-G2) on May 1 at Saint-Cloud.
Saturday’s card also features the Prix Saint-Alary, in which Godolphin will send out 2009 Meon Valley Stud Fillies’ Mile (Eng-G1) winner Hibaayeb. The Singspiel (Ire) filly finished next to last in the Stanjames.com One Thousand Guineas (Eng-G1) on May 2 at Newmarket in her season bow.
READER COMMENTS
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Posted by: JimmyJ, Chicago, IL on May 22, 2010 at 10:17 AM
I feel that both are high quality fillies. The general consensus about Stacelita was that 10 furlongs was about as far as she wanted to go, so her two 12 furlong races were gutsy. Goldikova on her best form is better, but I wouldn't be surprised at a Stacelita victory
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Posted by: Bryan, Brandon, MB on May 21, 2010 at 06:04 PM
If you check at Equidia video, you can view most French races you may be interested in. You will need Windows as your operating system though, as it is not Mac friendly.
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Posted by: Bob, WAKEFILED, MA on May 21, 2010 at 01:33 PM
Medlocke; How were you to able to see every race replay that Goldikova has run?
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Posted by: medlocke, Nancy, KY on May 20, 2010 at 05:40 PM
I've seen the replay of every race that Goldikova has ran in. I've seen the replay of every race that Stacelita has run in. Stacelita was portrayed as going into the 09'Arc as an undefeated filly. Which was a crock. Because Dar Re Mi had thrashed her in the Prix Vermille. But was D.Q.'d to 5th, in what was the worst disqualification I had ever seen in all my many years of watching racing. Dar Re Mi, simply put, was much the best that day. And the French Stewards took it away from her in favor of the French owned, French trained Stacelita. Stacelita is good. But Goldikova is great. Stacelita is a front runner. Goldikova can set pretty much anywhere she want's in a race. When she goes, Goldikova will blow by Stacelita. And there will be no question for the Stewards to have to answer at the end of this race. IMO.
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