Goldikova tunes up for star turn in BC Mile

Trans-Atlantic superstar Goldikova tuned up Tuesday for her latest bid for history, touring the Churchill Downs dirt track with half a dozen other European Breeders' Cup hopefuls. The six-year-old French mare, already the first horse to win the same Breeders' Cup race three times, will try for a fourth successive Breeders' Cup Mile triumph on Saturday. "It's something that you think about every day," said Regis Barbedette, assistant to trainer Freddie Head. "What she already has achieved, she’s already made history. If she were to win four, it would definitely climb up another step." Goldikova has enjoyed another strong, albeit imperfect, season. She has two victories in five starts, and comes into the Breeders' Cup off two narrow defeats in group one races in France. "All the defeats were second places, so it's really not that bad," Barbedette said. "When you are looking at them, there were some really good times, so she went faster. Maybe she won’t win by three lengths, but if she wins by one it will be plenty enough." Bill Mott, who saddles Courageous Cat in the Mile, said Goldikova remains an imposing competitor -- just as she was when she beat Courageous Cat in the 2009 Mile at Santa Anita. "Obviously, she's not doing poorly by any means," he said. "There’s people who've been willing to say, 'Well, a couple times she got beat and maybe she's not the same.' "But maybe she is," Mott said. "She's obviously a great filly. If they didn't feel she was doing well, I don’t think she’d be here." Goldikova, who notched two of her Mile triumphs at Santa Anita in California and her third on the turf track Churchill Downs last year, will break from the rail Saturday with Olivier Peslier in the saddle. For her past two triumphs she had prevailed from the far outside post, but work rider Thierry Blaise says the inside position shouldn't pose a problem for the experienced mare. "She's got more of a chance this time than last year. It's a good position for her," Blaise said. "Olivier feels he has a better chance having more horses on the outside of him to get a good start and get in better position." Gio Ponti returns to challenge Golidkova again after finishing runner-up to her in last year's Mile. "The horse has trained great, the post position is perfect and we're ready to go," trainer Christophe Clement said after Gio Ponti drew the fifth stall. Byword, Juddmonte Farms' Qatar Prix Dollar winner, also stretched his legs on Churchill's dirt track on Tuesday while Strong Suit, Qatar Bloodstock’s Rahy colt, went to the turf course for light exercise. Trained in England by Richard Hannon, Strong Suit has won three of five starts this season. In his most recent outing, he captured the 7 furlong Challenge Stakes by 4 1/2 lengths. Zoffany, a group one winner in Ireland and a close second to unbeaten superstar Frankel at Royal Ascot in June, will start from the second post.