Christopher Head: “I Wish My Grandfather Could Have Been There'

His father Freddy had an enduring love affair with the Breeders' Cup thanks to his treble Mile winner Goldikova (Ire) (Anabaa), and this year it is the turn of Christopher Head to take his chance at America's major international meeting with Blue Rose Cen (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}).

It has been quite the year for Head, 35, who notched his first group win in the G2 Prix du Muguet with TDN Rising Star Sibila Spain (Ire) (Frankel {GB), a first Group 1 in last weekend's Prix Marcel Boussac, and is now aiming at his first major overseas trip. In the midst of all this it was announced that he would take up the reins at the stable of Freddy Head, who will retire at the end of this season following an illustrious career, first as a jockey and later as a trainer.

“When my father made the announcement of his retirement, I wasn't expecting it because he hadn't talked about it,” said the French trainer on a visit to Tattersalls last week. “I learnt of it in the news like everybody else. This is how we are.”

There have been a number of sons, and the occasional daughter joining forces with their father since partnership training licences were introduced in Britain in 2020. However, in France, joint licences have been permitted for much longer, though this was never a route taken by Freddy and Christopher Head, with the latter having started training initially with a handful of rented boxes at Pascal Bary's Chantilly yard in 2019.

Christopher explains, “He always kept his distance with me in the beginning of my training career because he didn't want me to be in his shadow. I hope that it shows in the various things that I have done so far that it wasn't him, and that that can give owners confidence.

“It needed to be done as I wanted to try to make my own stamp on the stable. Now I am buying my father's stable. I've been training three years and now everything is settled and we are jumping onto the next step and having our own yard.”

The portents could not be better as the younger Head steps into this enhanced role having starred on Arc weekend with a smart young filly he will now take to Keeneland in pursuit of the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. The daughter of Churchill has been highly tried this season, racing six times from early May for four wins, including the G3 Prix d'Aumale en route to the Marcel Boussac.

“It was really the pinnacle of a programme that I had with various fillies,” says Head as he reflects on a breakthrough Group 1 victory, not just for himself but for Blue Rose Cen's Spanish owner-breeder Leopoldo Fernandez Pujals, who notably made significant investment in broodmares at the sales in America and Europe several years ago.

“To prepare for the race [last] Sunday, we needed for her to kick at the start of the season and race every month,” he continues. “And from the start she really was very sound and very brilliant–a fast learner, and that's why things have been so easy for her. She really has always been so straightforward, leading the string sometimes. It really is an honour for me to train her.”

Despite a busy domestic programme this spring and summer for Blue Rose Cen, Head is adamant that she should take her chance at Keeneland.

He says, “That's the idea. We've been taking inspiration from what they do in Great Britain and Ireland. It's an experiment to see if we are capable of having 2-year-olds at this level, of this quality. What does Aidan O'Brien do? He runs his 2-year-olds.

“Of course I have been looking at all the Breeders' Cup replays from Keeneland to see what we need to do to win. I will prepare her for distance and speed, and of course to go left-handed. Everything will be done to ensure that we get her there in top condition.”

Head, whose younger sister Victoria is also now training, following a long family tradition that stretches back to their great-grandfather Willie Head and includes grandfather Alec, and aunt Criquette, knows that he is fortunate to have been selected by Fernandez Pujals to train some of his first wave of homebreds. The Coolmore-bred Sibila Spain, a full-sister to the smart stayer Master Of Reality (Ire) and from a family laden with black type, was recruited as a yearling at Arqana and also races in his colours.

“He sent me horses that I couldn't even imagine I would get to train,” says Head. “There is a huge gap between my beginning and when I had the chance to train horses for him and I really thank him again for his confidence in my stable. When you're a young trainer to have the confidence of a great owner like him is everything. 

“He was already involved with Spanish [sport] horses but it's only been three years that he has been breeding thoroughbreds and he is brilliant enough to have learned every pedigree and he can go right back into the past with them. It's incredible to have him and to be part of his project. It's a huge project that I believe will have success. He bought a lot of nice mares and it's good for new owners to see that it is still possible to have success like this.”

He adds of the recently retired Sibila Spain, “She was the first horse I had for him, and she was my first group winner, so she is very special. Hopefully I might have the chance to train her offspring in the future.”

While the future looks bright for Head, his one regret is that his legendary grandfather Alec, who won the Arc as both a trainer and breeder, the latter with the dual victrix Treve (Fr), did not live long enough to see his first Group 1 success. The master of Haras du Quesnay died in June at the age of 97.

“It has been a beautiful year but it has also been a hard one too,” he notes. “I wish my grandfather could have been there to see it. Even though he was family, he was also a legend to us, so it was a hard time to think that I would no longer be able to discuss horses with him, because now I think that I am mature enough to do that. But I just hope somehow he saw it and enjoyed it.”