Goldikova

Freddie Head is in bullish mood as he prepares Goldikova to defend her crown in the Breeders' Cup Mile at Santa Anita on Saturday.

The Frenchman famously partnered the brilliant Miesque to two successive victories in the same race and is confident his four-year-old filly can match that achievement.

Despite her surprising defeat in the Prix de la Foret over seven furlongs at the Arc meeting, Head believes she is in the form of her life.

"She had a good journey over and will have her first experience of the track on Wednesday," said Head.

"Her performance in the Foret does not bother me at all as it was a no-race, everything went wrong. They went too fast, she was drawn badly, it was only a prep race and the jockey thought there was nothing in there that could beat her.

"I'm very confident she can emulate Miesque. I think she is better than last year, she's in better condition and has travelled better as well.

"I'm frightened of everyone, but I would say Delegator is probably the horse to beat. You do need a bit of luck in these races and what I want more than anything is a good pace. The faster they go, the better."

Looking towards next season, Head revealed Goldikova could stay in training.

He went on: "She could be around in 2010. We'll see how she comes out of the race and what she does subsequently, but the owners are not against her staying in training next year. She won't run again this season after the weekend."