Ramatuelle will attempt to uphold family honour and emulate the great French mare Goldikova when she seeks Breeders’ Cup Mile glory in California on Saturday.
Trained by Freddy Head for the Wertheimer brothers, Goldikova made the eight-furlong contest her own, winning it for three straight years between 2008-2010 and ending her glorious career with a valiant third in the race at Churchill Downs in 2011.
Now Head’s son, Christopher, will seek to relive the French glory days at the Breeders’ Cup with his own special filly, who having excited at two has performed with credit in a host of big races this term before storming to victory in Prix de la Foret when last seen.
Ramatuelle, who is part-owned by NBA Hall of Famer Tony Parker, faces off against 2000 Guineas hero Notable Speech in a blockbuster clash at Del Mar, as the great French hope bids to end Charlie Appleby’s winning run in the event.
She returns to a mile after her emphatic victory over seven furlongs at ParisLongchamp on Arc day, with her handler confident of a bold bid after being handed an inside draw.
Head, whose father also rode the magnificent dual Mile winner Miesque, said: “Everything is all right with Ramatuelle. Her number in the draw is pretty OK because she has that turn of foot that can gain her any position and it was evident when she won the Foret.
“I’m confident about her stamina and we know she’s very good between seven furlongs and a mile.”
Head, who saw Blue Rose Cen and Big Rock moved by their owners for this season, added: “It’s been a strange season for me between owners and trainer, but my owners are making it easy for me to be a good trainer.
“I look back at Goldikova who was so perfect in every way and I’m very proud to train for the Wertheimers.”
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Topgear made the journey from France to Newmarket thoroughly worthwhile in running out a wide-margin winner of the Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards Challenge Stakes.
Now trained by Christopher Head having spent his formative years with Fabrice Chappet, he is developing a reputation as a real seven-furlong specialist.
Head was one of only a few French trainers to hold their own at ParisLongchamp last weekend and no doubt if he did not have the eventual winner of the Prix de la Foret in the impressive Ramatuelle, Topgear would have run in that race instead.
Heavily backed close to the off to make him go off the 3-1 favourite, Stephane Pasquier could be spotted some way out going best of all.
Royal Scotsman ploughed a lone furrow on the rail for Jamie Spencer, running a thoroughly admirable race, getting closest to the superb winner, but was still beaten by five and a half lengths.
Stuart Williams’ prolific winner Quinault ran another big race, leading the field into the dip, but he had no answer to Topgear and finished third.
“I really love this horse, what a season for the stable and what a season for Wootton Bassett,” said Head.
French raider Topgear scorches to Challenge Stakes glory for Christopher Head and jockey Stephane Pasquier pic.twitter.com/b0iRdAQhIK
“Stephane said he is not blowing a candle and he is a very nice horse. I am pleased to see his progress.
“It is incredible to train for the owner Mr Saito, he has been in the stable since the beginning of this year and I am so happy to win today for him. I hope there will be many, many other wins across Europe.
“He has always been full of speed and we overtried him over the mile. We are now sure he is better at this distance, so we will keep him at that and we will now have a strong discussion about next season’s programme.
“This horse could go anywhere and it is going to be very interesting.”
Ramatuelle roared back to winning form in the Qatar Prix de la Foret at ParisLongchamp.
Off the track since finishing third in the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot in June, trainer Christopher Head produced his filly at the top of her form as she dropped back to seven furlongs.
Partnered by Aurelien Lemaitre, Ramatuelle travelled supremely well throughout the Group One contest and it was very much a case of how far she would win when kicking clear.
Kinross tried his best to reel her in over the closing strides for the Arc-winning team of Ralph Beckett and Rossa Ryan, but Ramatuelle was too good and came home a clear winner.
“Did you see that? It was mad! She already did it in the Guineas at the beginning of the season and she’s still capable of doing it,” said Head, who has his sights set firmly on the Breeders’ Cup with his stable star.
“She’s going to do even better next year, she’s looking like she’s getting better and better with time.
“She really coped with it (the going), Justifys cope with pretty much every ground. It’s really a pleasure to train those horses.
“I really want to thank (former NBA star) Tony Parker and all the owners for everything that they’ve done and the confidence that they have in the stable. It’s been a chaotic year and I’m so happy to win for them today.
“I hope it will continue in the future.”
The seven-year-old Kinross has lined up in the Foret in each of the last four years, finishing fourth in 2021, winning in 2022 and coming home second last year.
Beckett said: “What a horse. He’s been beaten by a very, very good filly – maybe it’s as simple as that.
“When he passed me I thought he was only going to be fifth, so I’m absolutely delighted with him.
“We’ll see how he comes out of it, but he could go for the Champions Sprint (at Ascot) if the ground is on his side, we will see how it goes.
“He had good horses in behind him and it was perhaps a deeper Foret than we’re used to with (Prix du Moulin winner) Tribalist etc.”
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Christopher Head has the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere in mind for promising juvenile Houquetot after his win in Paris at the weekend.
The colt, who is by Wootton Bassett out of a Group Three-winning War Front mare named Happen, was bred by Coolmore Stud and is now owned by a partnership of Al Shaqab Racing, Jean-Claude Seroul and Gerard Augustin-Normand.
He made his debut in a Compiegne contest in June over seven furlongs, where he won by three lengths before returning to the same track a month later to claim a similar race by two and a half lengths.
At Deauville last month, now in the silver silks of Al Shaqab, Houquetot graduated to Group Three level in the Prix Francois Boutin and under Aurelien Lemaitre, he was the runner-up as Joseph O’Brien’s Cowardofthecounty prevailed.
On Sunday at Longchamp, he faced another Group assignment, this time running in the Prix la Rochette over seven furlongs and regaining the winning thread with a taking three-quarter-length success.
Head now has the Lagardere planned for his next outing, and hopes that in time he will develop into a miler fit to contest the Classics next season as a three-year-old.
“Houquetot has been doing very well, he came back from his race brilliantly,” said the trainer.
“We will aim for the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere. He is such a swift horse, a very nice horse with a good temperament.
“Aurelien has been doing a very nice job with him and we have always been keeping him fresh for the next one.”
Of Classic aspirations for Houquetot next year, Head added: “That’s the plan, that’s very much the plan.”
Head has another promising Wootton Bassett colt in Maranoa Charlie, out of a Galileo mare and the winner of both of his two starts to date.
After a three-and-a-half-length success on debut at Deauville in August, the two-year-old stepped up to a mile at Chantilly on Saturday and blew away his rivals with a huge eight-length win.
He holds entries for various Group events in the autumn and although a solid target has not yet been decided upon, it is likely he will remain over a mile as a juvenile.
“He showed a lot of ability as a front-runner, he can handle any ground,” Head said.
“He looks like a really swift horse, so it’s going to be interesting.
“He’s already run over a mile and we’ll probably keep him over that distance as a two-year-old and then we will see for next season.
“There are many options, so I will talk to the owners and we will make a decision.”
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Christopher Head’s Ramatuelle will return from a summer break to tackle the Prix de la Foret before setting her sights on the Breeders’ Cup.
The chestnut was a superb two-year-old who landed the Prix Robert Papin by four lengths at Group Two level and was beaten only a short neck by Vandeek in the Group One Prix Morny.
Second on debut this season when stepped up to seven furlongs in the Prix Imprudence, the filly then tackled a further distance still when lining up for the 1000 Guineas and going down by just half a length as she was passed in the final strides.
Royal Ascot was the next port of call for the Coronation Stakes, also over a mile, and again Ramatuelle was the third-placed horse, behind Porta Fortuna and Opera Singer.
Both of those horses have enhanced the form since with Group One triumphs, with Opera Singer taking the Nassau Stakes at Goodwood and Porta Fortuna landing the Falmouth at Newmarket.
As for Ramatuelle, Head instead opted to give her a break at the height of summer with an extended campaign to run until the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar in November in mind.
The Prix de la Foret will come first, a seven-furlong Group One run at ParisLongchamp on the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe card in early October.
“She’s doing fine, she’s preparing for the Prix de la Foret which will be her next race,” said Head.
“She’s had a bit of break because we have a programme running until the Breeders’ Cup, so we will use the Foret as a preparation to go out there afterwards.
“She’s just a brilliant filly, a really, really nice daughter of Justify.
“She was a tremendous two-year-old who almost won the Guineas this season, everything’s great with her, so far so good.”
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Chistopher Head has confirmed star filly Ramatuelle will next line up in the Qatar Prix de la Foret at ParisLongchamp on Arc weekend.
The three-year-old made the step up to a mile on her last two appearances in Britain, firstly at Newmarket in the 1000 Guineas, where she was beaten half a length by Elmalka in third, before picking up another bronze medal in the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot last month.
The daughter of American great Justify, who is co-owned by former NBA player Tony Parker, was expected to drop down to seven furlongs for the Prix Jean Prat on Sunday, but Head revealed she will not be heading to Deauville.
Christopher Head, centre, has grand plans for Ramatuelle (Andrew Matthews/PA)
Instead, Ramatuelle will have a break before travelling to ParisLongchamp for the seven-furlong French Group One on October 6, with the Breeders’ Cup then on the agenda in November.
“The owners want to respect her and make the best programme ever for her,” Head told the PA news agency.
“We are going to wait for the Prix de la Foret and then the Breeders’ Cup. That’s the idea (to drop her back to seven furlongs) and obviously the Breeders’ Cup at the end of the season on the mile is pretty much going to suit her profile.
“I think it is the best bet we can get with her for the season, she is full of speed and the mile might be a bit tricky for her at the end. So, everything says she’s better on that type of distance.”
https://www.geegeez.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/DavidProbert_newGeegeezLogo-e1538582067746.jpg313830Geegeez Newshttps://www.geegeez.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/geegeez_banner_new_170x78.pngGeegeez News2024-07-02 12:35:122024-07-02 12:35:12Ramatuelle to get summer rest before Prix de la Foret bid
Oisin Murphy has picked up the plum ride on leading French filly Ramatuelle when she seeks to enact 1000 Guineas revenge on her Newmarket conqueror Elmalka in the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Christopher Head’s daughter of Justify was one of Europe’s leading two-year-olds last term with victory in the Prix Robert Papin and narrow defeat to Vandeek in the Prix Morny showcasing her class and talent.
However, connections – who include former San Antonio Spurs basketball star Tony Parker – had their sights on stretching out to a mile this season and following a pleasing return at Deauville made a bold bid for Classic honours on the Rowley Mile.
It's a blowout in the QIPCO 1000 Guineas, ELMALKA wins at 28/1! 😮
Tony Parker's Ramatuelle gave a bold sight but lost it in the final strides and its success instead of Silvestre De Sousa & Roger Varian pic.twitter.com/zt4Bgssa0Q
— Newmarket Racecourse (@NewmarketRace) May 5, 2024
She was denied a successful raid only in the dying strides at Newmarket when Roger Varian’s Elmalka and Donnacha O’Brien’s Porta Fortuna edged their way past, but she was immediately set a Royal Ascot objective by her team and they have now chosen Murphy to replace regular pilot Aurelien Lemaitre.
The Irishman has found himself the go-to man for the international challengers at this year’s Royal meeting and is delighted to pick up the ride on the high-class French raider in what he anticipates to be a red-hot affair.
He said: “I thought she ran very well in the Guineas and it looks to be one of the most competitive races of the week.
Jockey Oisin Murphy has picked up some top international rides at Royal Ascot (Mike Egerton/PA)
“There are a lot of stars in there and there is a whole host of them who can win, but she was very good at two and has done nothing wrong this year.
“Sheikh Fahad is part of her ownership along with the former NBA star Tony Parker and a few others”
Murphy – who has ridden 11 winners at the meeting during his career – could be said to temporarily have Australian citizenship throughout next week as he partners two of their main hopes of southern hemisphere success.
He will link up with leading King Charles III Stakes fancy Asfoora on the opening day, while he has been selected to ride Kitty Rose, who brings smart form from Ireland to the table, in the Sandringham Stakes when she represents her new Australian training team of Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr.
“Asfoora would have needed her run at Haydock on tiring ground but felt very good when I rode her yesterday morning,” continued Murphy.
“I rode her just over four furlongs on the grass in Newmarket and she is fit and ready to go. Hopefully she can put up a bold show.
He went on: “Kitty Rose was trained in Ireland and has been with her Australian connections only a short time. But she’s a big, powerful filly who has good form.
“She is going to carry a lot of weight in the Sandringham, but it often takes a Group filly to win the race and she has already proven that she is that – she’s a very good ride to pick up.”
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Christopher Head has cited the winning mentality brought by former NBA star Tony Parker as a positive influence ahead of Ramatuelle’s Qipco 1000 Guineas bid on Sunday.
The filly will have a special guest in her corner as French football World Cup winner Thierry Henry will be among Parker’s entourage on Sunday, and Head, who hails from French racing royalty himself, is looking forward to the occasion.
“Having Tony Parker in the circle is something special. He brings a sportsman’s attitude and a winning attitude and it’s really a pleasure to have him around. I can’t wait to meet Thierry Henry, too. I’m a fan of all sports,” he said.
“Generally, what I love about being a trainer is that I have access to a lot of people who have had a lot of success in life and now they have horses. I have the privilege to talk to them to find out their ingredients to success.”
🇫🇷 RAMATUELLE wins the Prix Du Bois @Longines for @CHeadRacing in tremendous style!!
Parker is a member of the Infinity 9 syndicate who part-own Ramatuelle, the Prix Robert Papin winner who will be running over a mile for the first time this weekend.
Head said: “Tony has the team in mind and knows how to push the people around him for success. It was important for me to have advice from him, he’s an athlete and I’m training athletes. He always gives very good advice. Having Ramatuelle with him is something special.”
The trainer has already proved the apple has not fallen far from the tree. His father, Freddy, is a former champion jockey who won the 1000 Guineas twice, once on the brilliant Miesque (1987) and four years earlier on Ma Biche, trained by his sister, Criquette. His grandfather Alec is a legendary figure in French racing, too.
“It is big shoes to fill, but it comes with a lot of advantage and I don’t care about the disadvantage,” he said.
Christopher Head’s father, Freddy, was a champion jockey and trained the likes of Goldikova and Solow (Steve Parsons/PA)
“It’s important to have your own personality as a trainer. I’m not training like my grandfather, nor my aunt, nor my father, it’s new with what we have in horse racing today but it was important to have this level of horse regarding the heritage of everything they have been teaching me from the beginning. I hope I’m not going to leave a black mark on the family. So far it is OK, I’m in the standard!
“Of course the name means so much to so many people and we have been trying to hit that expectation. When you have such a name in racing, you have to make it work. When I try something it has to work, so I keep that mentality with my horses and my team because we need to have no failure during the process.
“Of course we are working with horses, but we have to be 100 per cent sure to make the best of them.
“I had the best years of my life working for Criquette and my father, they’ve been mentors and are still helping me every day with the decisions I make. They’ve been perfect with me because they haven’t cast too much shadow on me but they are still available if I have any questions, so I want to thank them for that support and I hope to make the best out of this generation of the Head family.”
Big Rock won on Champions Day for Christopher Head (John Walton/PA)
Head has already tasted big-race glory in the UK when Big Rock put up a startling display on Champions Day at Ascot. However, the owner subsequently moved all his horses to a different trainer.
“Winning in the UK is pretty much an objective for any French trainer because it is where horse racing is the most important. The atmosphere is amazing, I’ve never felt anything like it before when Big Rock won, that was something special. If I have the horse, I will come to the UK for sure with the right horse,” said Head.
“You can’t teach a horse how to race at Newmarket before getting there but it is OK because what we see in a morning, I have a feeling the beginning of the race is the most important and looking at her I think she will be (OK) there.
“I know she’s by Justify, but I don’t know how far she will stay for now. We will just concentrate on the mile as there is a nice programme and even for sprinters, whatever happens there will be something for her but the Guineas is the main objective.”
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Christopher Head has raised the possibility of Ramatuelle running in the Qipco 1000 Guineas, as connections seek to plot a mile campaign this summer.
Co-owned by former NBA star Tony Parker, Ramatuelle sports black and silver silks based on his former championship-winning team the San Antonio Spurs and made a serious impression on course at two.
The high-class daughter of Justify won three of her five appearances as a juvenile, including the Group Two Prix Robert Papin, before finishing her campaign going down by the barest of margins to star colt Vandeek in the Prix Morny.
Plans for Ramatuelle’s early-season target are still to be finalised and as well as a possible raid on Newmarket, she holds an entry for the Emirates Poule d’Essai des Pouliches the trainer won with Blue Rose Cen in 2023.
But Head will begin testing her Classic credentials at Deauville on April 9 and having seen dual Classic-winning filly Blue Rose Cen switched to Maurizio Guarnieri earlier this year, will be hoping Ramatuelle can fill the void and become another household name for his Chantilly operation.
He said: “Ramatuelle has been a tremendous filly for us as a two-year-old and we are now preparing her for pretty much the mile programme in France, but not only in France, in the UK too.
“We’re looking all over Europe to make the best programme for her as a three-year-old. It (Newmarket) is of course a possibility, but at the end of the day her owner will decide where she will run and of course there is a possibility she could go for that race.
“She’s going to go to the Prix Imprudence and then from there we will see where we go. To be a successful miler is the main objective this year.
“I think Ramatuelle is a really nice filly and Justify has proven he can sire very versatile horses. I’m very happy to have her at three and can’t wait to see what she is going to do for us in the mile races this year.”
Owners Yeguada Centurion may have switched Blue Rose Cen, but their Group One-winning colt Big Rock remains in Head’s care and is being geared up for another enterprising programme.
Big Rock after winning the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot (John Walton/PA)
He was last seen recording a brilliant victory from the front in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes on British Champions Day and his handler is excited by the possibility of returning to the UK in search of further riches during the 2024 season.
“Big Rock is brilliant and has done very well over the winter,” continued Head.
“He will have a nice programme in Europe and we will be able to come over to the UK again.
“I will speak with the owners before saying anything about where he is going to start, but don’t worry the horse is doing very well and we’re very happy with his training. We can’t wait to see him back on track.”
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There was yet another victory for France in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot as Big Rock delivered a devastating display on Qipco British Champions Day.
Often the bridesmaid when racing at the highest level this year, the son of Rock Of Gibraltar had finished second in the Prix du Jockey Club, Prix Jacques le Marois and Prix du Moulin in his last three starts.
However, Christopher Head’s brilliant colt finally got his moment in the spotlight, making every yard in the one-mile Group One feature.
Immediately taking his customary position at the head of proceedings, his rivals were left chasing shadows as big-race jockey Aurelien Lemaitre kept upping the tempo.
Having built up a healthy lead, it was Dermot Weld’s Tahiyra who decided to break cover from the pack first, with Chris Hayes setting the Irish 1,000 Guineas heroine in pursuit.
But there was no catching Big Rock (5-1) who kept on galloping in the rain-softened ground to register an emphatic six-length success and also lead home a French one-two, as Jerome Reynier’s Facteur Cheval stayed on past a tiring Tahiyra in the dying strides to grab the silver medal.
Short-priced favourite Paddington beat only two home, one of those being 2000 Guineas winner Chaldean.
Aurelien Lemaitre thrilled in victory with Big Rock (John Walton/PA)
“That was tremendous! Big Rock always does this, it’s crazy. What a horse, what a season. He does very well on that type of ground but that was quite impressive, very impressive, what a horse,” said a jubilant Head.
“You’re always a bit scared that the race is going to close in on you, but we’ve known him for the whole season and he’s always been like this. It’s very nice to see him winning this race because it was one of the best mile (races) in Europe.
“I’m very happy for the owner, he’s the breeder. I’m very happy, this is such a nice place to win.”
Weld, meanwhile, was proud of Tahiyra’s effort in defeat.
“She’s run a brilliant race, we’re delighted with her, it was just the conditions on the mile were very testing and she didn’t really handle the ground. She tries so hard, she’s a brilliant filly,” he said.
A big pat for Big Rock! (John Walton/PA)
“She has that will to win, someone had to go after the horse in front and she said she would!
“I suppose all the riders thought the one in front couldn’t keep going, but Chris said after two furlongs everything was off the bridle, it wasn’t as if they were all sitting waiting.
“Chris felt he had to go after him and it’s always very difficult when you are the one leading the pack, it’s like in cycling, it leaves you open to be caught from those in behind.
“We’ll see how she comes out of the race and then we’ll make a decision if she comes back next year.”
Hayes added: “It was an unusual race, he had us all under pressure – he set a very tempo on very testing ground. I’m very proud of my filly – on ground she hated, she wouldn’t accept defeat, she kept trying to the line.
“Hopefully she’s there next year; she’s a remarkable filly.”
Paddington failed to fire on his return (David Davies/PA)
Aidan O’Brien’s multiple Group One winner Paddington was sent off the 7-4 market leader but was beaten 35 lengths by the winner.
However, the Ballydoyle handler felt the colt had a “legitimate excuse” on what was his first start in 59 days.
O’Brien said: “He might have been a bit fresh. He jumped (out the stalls) and locked on with Ryan (Moore) and he doesn’t usually do that. He was a shade slow, but when he jumped, he just grabbed the bit and wouldn’t let it go. He didn’t let it go for the first half of the race and in that ground, you can’t do that.
“It’s a good while since he ran and he is definitely going to improve on the run. I would be very happy, it’s a very legitimate excuse for me.
“The lads will have to decide now if go again with him and go to the Breeders’ Cup or if we leave him at that. He obviously doesn’t have anything to prove to anybody.”
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There will be no Breeders’ Cup for Blue Rose Cen following her dazzling triumph in the Prix de l’Opera – but Christopher Head’s star filly will stay in training as a four-year-old.
The daughter of Churchill has led her handler’s charge to the upper echelons of the training ranks in France and having provided Head with a first Group One success in the Marcel Boussac last year, has gone on to become one of the leading fillies of her generation.
She became a dual Classic winner earlier in the spring when following up her ready Poule d’Essai des Pouliches victory with a breathtaking display in the Prix de Diane and although defeats followed both on the road at Goodwood and when tried over a mile and a half in the Prix Vermeille, she roared back to her best on Arc day to secure her third Group One of the campaign.
A trip to Santa Anita had been mooted as a possible finale for her season, but Blue Rose Cen will now enjoy a well-deserved break, with her trainer delighted owners Yeguada Centurion SL have decided she will race on next year.
“We have finished for the season with Blue Rose Cen, she has been sent for vacation and she will be coming back to the stables ahead of next season,” said Head.
“It’s brilliant and delightful to have her at four and I’m sure the next stage of her career at four will be very interesting.
“She has had a very good season and everything was perfect. We tried Goodwood and we tried her over a longer distance and we are now pretty much aware of what she is capable of doing, so next year I think we will have a very nice season. We have a very nice programme for her with some races in England, too.”
Blue Rose Cen claimed the Prix de l’Opera on Arc day (PA)
Having won four of her six big-race assignments this term Head can look back in pride at some of the her phenomenal achievements, including a four-length demolition in the French Oaks and proving her doubters wrong following two defeats at ParisLongchamp in the Opera.
Head added: “Of course the Prix de Diane was just enormous. What she did into the Prix de Diane was incredible as well and of course seeing her back in the Prix de l’Opera was brilliant too, as everyone was saying she had had a hard season and she showed that it was not finished for her.”
Meanwhile, Blue Rose Cen’s stablemate Big Rock is fully on course to try to break his duck at the highest level in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes on Qipco British Champions Day.
Christopher Head trains both Blue Rose Cen and Big Rock (Andrew Matthews/PA)
The Rock Of Gibraltar colt, who also carries the colours of Yeguada Centurion SL, has been hitting the crossbar in a plethora of Group One assignments since handing Champion Stakes favourite Horizon Dore a five-length beating earlier in the season and Head is eager to see him gain a deserved first top-level success.
“Big Rock is a really brilliant horse and has been brilliant all season,” he continued.
“He has been beaten by some good horses throughout the season and I’m a bit sad to see him not win a Group One yet.
“We are looking forward to the QEII to try to win his first Group One.”
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Blue Rose Cen bloomed once again at ParisLongchamp as she repelled the challenge of Jackie Oh to win the Prix de l’Opera Longines.
Winner of the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches and Prix de Diane earlier in the season, Blue Rose Cen came unstuck at the hands of the reopposing Al Husn when only fourth in the Nassau at Goodwood while she had to settle for fifth in the Prix Vermeille last month.
However, Christopher Head’s filly regained the winning thread in this 10-furlong contest, although the Aidan O’Brien-trained Jackie Oh made her pull out all the stops.
The pair were neck and neck inside the final furlong, but Blue Rose Cen kept finding a bit extra for Aurelian Lemaitre and shaded the verdict on the line, with Lumiere Rock in third.
Blue Rose Cen is set to stay in training at four (PA)
Betfair make Blue Rose Cen – who won the Prix Marcel Boussac on last year’s Arc card – a 4-1 chance from 8s for next month’s Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf, and while Head is unsure she will make the trip a four-year-old campaign is on the cards.
He said: “You never know they can be running in the Vermeille and still get it back in the Opera – what a filly.
“For sure she will stay in training at four. She’s nominated for the Breeders’ Cup, but we will have to discuss that.
“My ambition is to one day win the Arc and I’m working on it.”
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Christopher Head’s Big Rock will head to British shores for the first time to contest the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes on Champions Day at Ascot.
The colt racked up a four-race winning streak earlier in the year that carried him from an all-weather handicap to victory in the Group Three Prix de Guiche.
That run then paved the way to the Group One Prix du Jockey Club, where he was beaten three and half lengths behind the well-fancied Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe contender Ace Impact.
Two more second-placed runs followed as Big Rock dropped back to a mile, finishing behind Inspiral in the Prix Jacques le Marois and Sauterne in the Prix du Moulin.
Now Big Rock could make his first start outside of France in the Group One QEII on October 21.
“He’s doing fine, he came out of the Prix du Moulin very well and he’s aiming for the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes,” Head said.
“He has done some very nice work and everything’s all right, he’s a horse that has needed a bit of time between races and I’m very happy to have had that kind of break between the Moulin at Longchamp and the Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
“We have him back fresh and everything, so I think he will be more than interesting for his next race.
“Heavy ground is not a problem, whatever the ground does, it is not a problem for him.”
One horse from the Head stable that will not be seen again this term is Ramatuelle, a two-year-old filly by Justify who has enjoyed a highly successful juvenile campaign.
The chestnut has won three of her five runs this season and was the runner-up both times when beaten, with her successes including the Group Three Prix du Bois and the Group Two Prix Robert Papin.
Most recently she was defeated in the Prix Morny, a Group One in which she went down by just a short neck to the highly-regarded Vandeek.
That run was the last of the year for Ramatuelle, who will return for her three-year-old campaign in 2024.
“The owners have decided that she has had a very nice two-year-old season and they want to have a 100 per cent chance with her at three,” Head explained.
“They have decided not to run her again this season, she will be back next year in spring.”
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Christopher Head was left feeling frustrated having seen Big Rock collect another big-race silver medal in the Prix du Moulin de Longchamp.
The talented son of Rock Of Gibralter strung together a four-race winning sequence earlier in the campaign that included a five-length defeat of Champion Stakes-bound Horizon Dore at Chantilly in May.
However, the colt’s successful run came to an end when second to Arc favourite Ace Impact in the Prix du Jockey Club.
He has since dropped back down to a mile, but has again had to settle for the runner-up spot, firstly when bumping into an in-form Inspiral in the Jacques le Marois and then when passed late on by the fast-finishing Sauterne at ParisLongchamp on Sunday.
“He’s very consistent with his performance and is always improving a little bit,” said Head.
“But we have a hard time of course against a horse with a certain turn of foot being on our back and we are always vulnerable to that kind of strategy.
“It is a bit frustrating because he is really worthy of getting a Group One win but he is just missing out for now.”
If connections continue to persevere at the mile distance, Big Rock could be seen at Ascot on Qipco British Champions Day where he holds an entry for the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes.
However, Head stressed the team are in no rush to make their next move, with the colt’s versatility meaning all options remain on the table.
“I need to speak with Yeguada Centurion (owners) and we will go wherever they want me to go,” continued Head.
“I think he’s pretty versatile and can do pretty much whatever we want and we can adjust strategy accordingly.
“It’s still an option (Ascot) of course and we are considering all options, but it is a bit early to say right now. We would be more than honoured to go there as they are really important races for not just horses but also trainers and owners, it’s a pretty impressive place.”
Blue Rose Cen following her run at Goodwood (Molly Hunter/PA)
There is another big weekend on the horizon for both Head and owners Yeguada Centurion as Blue Rose Cen heads to the Prix Vermeille to put her Arc aspirations to the test.
The three-year-old has been the star of Head’s rise up the training ranks, while he also has another high-class proposition waiting in the wings in Ramatuelle.
The daughter of Justify, whose owners include former NBA star Tony Parker, has won three of her five career starts and having been narrowly denied by Vandeek in the Prix Morny has options in both England and America for her next outing.
Head continued: “She is doing fine and everything is OK. We still have both options available for the end of the season – there is the Cheveley Park Stakes and the Breeders’ Cup too – and we are just waiting a little bit to be sure what the owner is wanting to do.”
A trip to Newmarket on September 30 would see Ramatuelle continue to ply her trade over six furlongs.
However, a tilt at the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf in Santa Anita would see the precocious youngster step up to a mile, with her handler intrigued to see how she gets on when they stretch the elastic of her stamina.
He added: “There is always the possibility that the filly will stay at three so at some point there will be probably be progression to the distances she is likely to encounter.
“It is very interesting and we can’t wait to try this and see what her limits are.”
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Christopher Head is delighted with Ramatuelle after her valiant run in defeat in the Prix Morny at Deauville on Sunday.
The Justify filly went into the race unbeaten having won a string of good quality contests, including the Prix du Bois and the Prix Robert Papin.
The latter two victories were by considerable margins, five and four lengths respectively, and the two-year-old lined up for the Group One Prix Morny the evens favourite as a result.
There she crossed paths with Simon and Ed Crisford’s Goodwood winner Vandeek, who triumphed in the Richmond Stakes on what was only his second start.
The two horses were engaged in a battle in the final strides of the race and Vandeek just edged past the filly to score a short-head success and become the first horse to defeat her.
Vandeek beats Ramatuelle in the Sumbe Prix Morny (Scoopdyga/France Galop)
Head was nonetheless impressed with his chestnut, who ran an admirable race against an increasingly highly-regarded rival.
“I’m very happy with the race because it was such a strong field, we have seen a very nice colt,” he said.
“Of course it’s a bit enraging to be beaten like that in a Group One, one has to accept there are horses that are better than Ramatuelle but she had a very pleasing run.
“The times are crazy, in that kind of ground having that kind of turn of foot – it’s just madness.
“I’m really happy with her run and I can’t wait to see her on the rest of her programme.”
The Deauville turf was officially very soft, conditions Vandeek was proven on after his Goodwood run but Ramatuelle had less experience of having mainly encountered good to soft going.
Head said: “We know that Vandeek can show a very, very nice performance on that type of ground and Ramatuelle was a question mark.
“It’s not the same soft as the beginning of the season at Chantilly, it was a very good race and well done to the Crisfords because they are brilliant trainers.”
There are no confirmed plans for the filly’s next outing, with Head keen to discuss the rest of the season with her owners, who include NBA Hall of Famer Tony Parker, before plotting a next step.
“We will have to discuss with the owners before we plan the rest of the season, that was pretty much the plan regarding the Morny,” he said.
“We have a few opportunities now, we will have to see how she comes out of the race and then we will plan the rest of the season.
“She is very well, she had a pleasant night and is very settled.
“She didn’t look like she had a hard race, she was very ready for the challenge. We will see in a few weeks what we will do.”
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