2011 Royal Ascot: Goldikova Defeated in the G1 Queen Anne Stakes

Goldikiva, three-time winner of the G1 Breeder's Cup Mile, suffered defeat during the opening race of Royal Ascot on Tuesday in the G1 Queen Anne Stakes at the hands of Canford Cliffs.

The race was billed as the headline event of the meet, and it lived up to its advertisement as Canford Cliffs earned his fifth consecutive win and his seventh in 10 starts. Canford Cliff settled at the back of the pack, while Goldikova sat in third behind the pacemakers Cape Blanco and Flash Dance.

With two furlongs left in the race, Goldikova went to the lead as the pacesetters began to fade. She was briefly challenged by Rio de La Plata before running away from the horse. The last furlong was where the fun began, as Canford Cliffs and Goldikova pushed each other to the wire before Canford Cliffs gained the advantage in the final yards, winning by a length.

“He’s very special to us; these sorts of horses don’t come around everyday,” Canford Cliffs trainer told Blood Horse after the race.  

The trainer had paid the colt the ultimate compliment before the race by telling the press that Canford Cliffs was the best horse he had ever trained.

The colt’s jockey, Richard Hughes, rode Paco Boy in the race last year and finished second behind Goldikova, and knew he had to wait for the mare to really start running before he could ask his colt to go after her. Both horses quickened several times in the battle of the last furlong.

Olivier Peslier, Goldikova’s jockey, was fined 650 pounds after the race for changing his riding boots immediately after the race before weighing out.

Canford Cliffs may make a trip to the Breeder’s Cup Mile in November at Kentucky’s Churchill Downs, where Goldikova will be looking for her fourth consecutive win of the race. He is a four- year-old colt by Tagula and out of Mrs. Marsh [Marju], and is owned by a partnership of the Heffer Syndicate, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith.