LEGENDARY racehorse Goldikova has died at the age of 16.
The three-time Breeders’ Cup Mile winner and all-time great’s passing was confirmed by the manager of the Wertheimer stable in France this morning.
Goldikova won 14 Group 1 races and she triumphed in three successive Mile races in the showpiece American meet from 2008.
She also won the 2010 Queen Anne at Royal Ascot – the same year she was crowned European Horse of the Year – in a glittering career that produced more than £5.2million in prize money.
Her turn of foot was likened to being in an F1 car and she will go down as one of this century’s top horses.
Goldikova was bred by billionaire Chanel owners Alain and Gerard Wertheimer and actually retired from racing in June 2011.
That came after a third-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, the race she had previously made her own.
Fans expressed their shock and grief at the US Racing Hall of Fame star’s passing online.
One person tweeted: “Heartbreaking to hear that Goldikova has left us so young – she was only 16.
“We were lucky she was campaigned so aggressively. Condolences to connections. May her daughters continue her legacy. RIP beautiful mare.”
Another wrote: “You’re unforgettable. RIP Goldikova.”
Jour de Galop confirmed Goldikova’s death.
They posted on social media: “Goodbye champion. The terrible news was announced to us just now by Pierre-Yves Bureau, on behalf of the Wertheimer stables. Champion Goldikova is gone.”
More to follow.
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