THE passing of time has a habit of dimming our memories, and the news this week of the death of Goldikova was a reminder for me of this fact. In a time period of some great racemares, the likes of Enable and Magical, it is easy to overlook the fact that Goldikova won 14, yes fourteen, Group 1s.

Remarkable. That is what she was. Owned and bred by the Wertheimer brothers, she was trained by Freddy Head and partnered, on all of her 27 career starts, by Olivier Peslier. Goldikova raced for five seasons, from two to six, and only once finished out of the first three. Her 17 victories saw her accumulate winnings of just over €5.2 million.