Christopher Head

Ramatuelle (Justify) is reportedly on course to return to action in next month's G1 Prix de la Foret, having been off the track since finishing third in the G1 Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot. Trained by Christopher Head, Ramatuelle won the G2 Prix Robert Papin as a two-year-old and has since finished placed at the top level on three occasions. Runner-up to Vandeek (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}) in last year's Prix Morny at Deauville, she preceded her Royal Ascot effort with another third-place finish in the 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket....

Christopher Head trainee Houquetot (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}--Happen, by War Front) endured a first defeat in three career starts when runner-up in last month's G3 Prix Francois Boutin and bounced back with a game victory in Sunday's G3 Prix La Rochette at ParisLongchamp. The 11-10 favourite, previously successful in two seven-furlong heats at Compiegne, broke smartly and raced in a prominent second from flagfall in this fourth start at the specialist distance. Stoked up with a quarter-mile remaining, he joined long-time leader Sir Tommy Cen (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) entering...

Making an instant impact in Thursday's Arqana Series Des Poulains at Deauville, Peter Maher, Carl Fitzgerald and John Baxter's Maranoa Charlie (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}--Koubalibre {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}) became his sire's ninth TDN Rising Star. Out of a half-sister to the G1 Cheveley Park Stakes heroine Tiggy Wiggy (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), the €220,000 Arqana Deauville August graduate soon had control on the front end under Aurelien Lemaitre. Sent into the clear passing the furlong pole, the Christopher Head-trained 23-10 favourite registered an impressive 3 1/2-length success from Mighty Boy...

Two-for-two entering Deauville's seven-furlong G3 Prix Six Perfections on Sunday, the €110,000 Goffs Orby Book 1 graduate Angeal (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}--Curvy {GB}, by Galileo {Ire}) showed that she is not shy of a battle, emerging the other side with her perfect tally intact. Educated at Saint-Cloud over the past two months, the Christopher Head-trained daughter of Coolmore's GI E. P. Taylor Stakes heroine who races for Christophe Brun, Ecurie Normandy Spirit and Gerard Larrieu was settled in second from the outset by Aurelien Lemaitre. Getting to the front at the...

Connections of Ramatuelle are targeting an autumn campaign with the daughter of Justify after she finished third in the G1 Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot, deciding against a tilt at the G1 Prix Jean Prat at Deauville on Sunday. Trained by Christopher Head, Ramatuelle won the G2 Prix Robert Papin as a two-year-old and has since finished placed at the top level on three occasions. Runner-up to Vandeek (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}) in last year's Prix Morny at Deauville, she preceded her Royal Ascot effort with another third-place finish in...

Christopher Head trainee Angeal (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}--Curvy {GB}, by Galileo {Ire}), a €110,000 Goffs Orby daughter of GI E. P. Taylor Stakes victrix and G1 Irish Oaks third Curvy, continued on a winning roll and went two-for-two in Sunday's seven-furlong €34,000 Prix Amber Rama at Saint-Cloud. 1st-Saint-Cloud, €34,000, Cond, 6-30, 2yo, 7fT, 1:27.43, g/s. ANGEAL (IRE) (f, 2, Wootton Bassett {GB}--Curvy {GB} {GISW-Can, GSW & G1SP-Ire, GSW-Eng, $555,392}, by Galileo {Ire}), who graduated over six furlongs here in her May 20 debut last time, broke sharply from the outside...

Coolmore Ashford resident Maximum Security (New Year's Day) collected his first success as a freshman sire when Kentucky-bred colt Monarh Bars annexed his debut run by six lengths at the Pavlovskiy Hippodrome in Russia last month. He doubled his tally with Christopher Head trainee Rosa Salvaje (Ire) in Tuesday's €30,000 Prix Allee d'Amour over seven furlongs at Saint-Cloud. The filly was bred by Yeguada Centurion SLU who purchased the dam, Idle Hour, for $130,000 at Keeneland November in 2020. "Rosa Salvaje is off to a very good start today, coming...

Group 1 winner Big Rock (Fr) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}) and 12 other Yeguada Centurion horses have transferred to the stable of Maurizio Guarnieri as of Thursday evening, Jour de Galop reported. The baker's dozen were formerly listed in training with Christopher Head. Speaking to the French publication, Head said, "I was notified Thursday morning of the departure of the horses for Maurizio Guarnieri's stable, with transport planned for the evening. I savored every minute spent with the Yeguada Centurion horses. I [will] only have good memories of this valuable...

Gifted an ideal lead in Sunday's G3 Prix de Fontainebleau, Aurelien Lemaitre took full advantage to steer Nurlan Bizakov's Ramadan (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}--Raushan {Ire}, by Dalakhani {Ire}) to success in the key G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains trial. Race-fit having registered a five-length success in the Listed Prix Omnium II at Saint-Cloud last month, the Christopher Head-trained homebred who had been fourth in the G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud last term ticked off honest fractions on the front end before kicking in early straight. Getting the jump on the returning...

The entries for the first two Classics of the season have been released, with 49 horses entered in each of the Qipco 2,000 Guineas and Qipco 1,000 Guineas. The colts will line up at Newmarket on Saturday, May 4 when it is likely that much of the attention will focus on the unbeaten City Of Troy (Justify), who at this stage is the ante-post favourite for the 2,000 Guineas. Trained by Aidan O'Brien, he has left Ireland for two of his three starts to win the G2 Superlative S. at...

Christopher Head won his first Classic last season with Blue Rose Cen (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}) and he is now eyeing a possible run un the Qipco 1,000 Guineas for Ramatuelle (Justify), who was the top-rated juvenile in France in 2023. The winner of the G2 Prix Robert Papin, and runner-up in the G1 Prix Morny, Ramatuelle is also entered for the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches and she will begin her preparations for the Classics in Deauville on April 9. "Ramatuelle has been a tremendous filly for us as a...

Blue Rose Cen (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}), the joint-top-rated 3-year-old filly in Europe last year and a Group 1 winner in both of her seasons to race, has been moved from the stable of Christopher Head to that of his fellow Chantilly trainer Maurizio Guarnieri. The news was first reported by Jour de Galop.  Blue Rose Cen races in the colours of her breeder Leopoldo Fernandez Pujals of Yeguada Centurion, who, along with Head, also had the second-top-rated horse in Europe last year in Big Rock (Ire) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire})....