Christopher Head to aim Sibila Spain at French Oaks

What to make of Blue Rose Cen? She looked like an outstanding filly after winning the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches at this course and following up even more impressively in the Prix de Diane at Chantilly, but the wheels have fallen off spectacularly on her two subsequent starts. There were possible excuses for those defeats but she has had a long…

The Nassau Stakes (15:35) at Goodwood on Thursday is available as a free Race Pass, which means logged-in customers can view all our premium comments and ratings. Thursday's highlight at Goodwood is the Group 1 Nassau Stakes (15:35) for fillies over a mile and a quarter which sees a clash between the last two winners of the Prix de Diane,…

It's been a strong Flat season so far for French racing, with their major trophies being kept at home and a steady stream of disappointed raiders being sent home to think again. Now, one of its stars has found her way across the Channel and then a few miles beyond that to see if the Brits are as easy to beat in their own backyard. Surprisingly…

Hollie Doyle loved Nashwa from the word go, but she could never have imagined the filly would take her to such dizzy heights. Imad Alsagar's home-bred four-year-old, expertly nurtured by John and Thady Gosden, gave Doyle a first Classic success in last year's Prix de Diane at Chantilly and added a second Group One in the Qatar Nassau Stakes…

Blue Rose Cen can join a pantheon of racing legends if she prevails in the Prix de Diane (French Oaks) at Chantilly on Sunday with her main obstacle the unbeaten Jannah Rose. Blue Rose Cen if successful would join Allez France (1973), Zarkava (2008) and Divine Proportions (2005) in winning the Prix Marcel Boussac, the Prix de Poule d'Essai des…

Freddy Head's son landed Poule d'Essai des Pouliches with star filly Blue Rose Cen for an owner who has transformed his approach to training - and now he's got major hopes in both French Derby and Oaks, as he tells Julian Muscat France: When Christopher Head saddled Blue Rose Cen to win the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches earlier this month, it bore…

Blue Rose Cen ticked off the latest stage of a meticulously laid plan when roaring to success in the Emirates Poule d'Essai des Pouliches to claim a first Classic victory for Christopher Head and jockey Aurelien Lemaitre. The trainer had surprised some observers with his serenity when the daughter of Churchill provided him with a Group 1…

After handing over the reins of a famous family dynasty to the next generation, Freddy Head looks back on a brilliant career as trainer and jockey in this major interview France: After six decades of rising before the cold light of dawn, you'd have thought Freddy Head would spend his first winter in retirement seeking the sun. One attractive option…

Nashwa carries the mantle of one of Europe's bankers in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf on Saturday. The John and Thady Gosden-trained three-year-old has already won the Prix de Diane (French Oaks) and Nassau Stakes in a successful season and came close to adding a third Group One in the Prix de l'Opera last time out. Owned by Imad Al Sagar,…

Nashwa carries the mantle of one of Europe's bankers in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf on Saturday. The John and Thady Gosden-trained three-year-old has already won the Prix de Diane (French Oaks) and Nassau Stakes in a successful season and came close to adding a third Group One in the Prix de l'Opera last time out. Owned by Imad Al Sagar,…

Nashwa carries the mantle of one of Europe's bankers in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf on Saturday. The John and Thady Gosden-trained three-year-old has already won the Prix de Diane (French Oaks) and Nassau Stakes in a successful season and came close to adding a third Group One in the Prix de l'Opera last time out. Owned by Imad Al Sagar,…

Nashwa carries the mantle of one of Europe's bankers in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf on Saturday. The John and Thady Gosden-trained three-year-old Nashwa has already won the Prix de Diane (French Oaks) and Nassau Stakes in a successful season and came close to adding a third Group One in the Prix de l'Opera last time out. Owned by Imad Al…

Richard Hannon will be disappointed if Persian Force doesn't avenge his Royal Ascot defeat by Bradsell as they meet again in a red-hot edition of the Group One Keeneland Stakes at the Curragh. Rossa Ryan's mount was beaten by a length and a half by Archie Watson-trained, Hollie Doyle-ridden Bradsell in the Coventry Stakes, a race which looks even…

Nashwa is a warm favourite to take a second Group One contest in the Qatar Nassau Stakes at Goodwood on Thursday, with co-trainer Thady Gosden confident she will be effective on the South Downs track. The daughter of Frankel did not stay the mile and a half of the Oaks at Epsom, finishing three and a quarter lengths behind Tuesday. However, she…

Nashwa: will bid for back-to-back Group 1 wins in the Nassau Stakes at Glorious Goodwood next week Baaeed is unlikely to be the only odds-on Group 1 shot at Glorious Goodwood next week with Nashwa's Nassau Stakes task made easier by the defections of stablemate Inspiral and La Petite Coco. The €1 million Prix Jacques le Marois is under…

Joan Of Arc added her name to the list of dazzling fillies with which Aidan O'Brien will attack the second half of the season, showing courage and class to run down Sibila Spain and win the Ballydoyle maestro a first Prix de Diane Longines. O'Brien's third French Group 1 success of the season in partnership with Ioritz Mendizabal means he has now…

The Prix du Jockey Club (French Derby) is one of three great Classics over the weekend, alongside the Epsom Derby and the Belmont Stakes. To mark the latest running, John Gilmore looks back more than 100 years at a fascinating period in the race's history, when it was dominated by American jockeys - and one notable European. In 1922, George Stern,…

Fancy Blue and Pierre-Charles Boudot after a hard-fought success in the Prix de Diane Longines at Chantilly They say if you're good enough you're old enough and that certainly bore fruit as Fancy Blue led home a historic Irish 1-2-3 in the Prix de Diane Longines for Donnacha O'Brien, trainer of precisely three winners before landing his first…

Timeform provide all the essential information as racing returns in France, including how to place your bets and where you can watch all the action. How can I bet on French racing? Bookmakers in Britain will be offering traditional fixed-odds prices on racing in France. However, punters with some firms also have the option of betting into the PMU,…

The French classic campaign begins on Sunday with the 2019 editions of the Poules d'Essai des Poulains (French 2000 Guineas) and the Poules d'Essai des Pouliches (French 1000 Guineas) over a mile at ParisLongchamp. But can the home country buck the growing trend that has seen most of its greatest races being marked for export over the past few…

Alec Head, who has died at the age of 97, was one of the greatest all-rounders in the history of modern racing. The son of dual-purpose trainer Willie Head, Alec could lay claim to being among the most successful French horsemen since World War II, saddling four winners of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and launching a stream of successful raids to…

French-trained Treve wins Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe First horse in 40 years to win back to back Arcs 11-1 shot Treve given perfect ride by jockey Thierry Jarnet Japanese challenge never materializes Four-year-old filly Treve defied her critics and the starting odds to secure back to back wins in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Longchamps…

Although Criquette Head-Maarek does not have a runner in the Prix de Diane on Saturday, the memory of her victory in the race last year at Chantilly remains. Head-Maarek, whose first of three Oaks victories came in 1982, had been called foolish for putting Trêve, a filly with such little experience, in the race that day. But Trêve, sent off at 11-1…