Charlton eyes Irish Champion with 'proper horse' Headman after Deauville triumph

It might be typically discrete of the French to stage a €400,000 race midweek and content themselves with Group 2 status but, make no mistake, Headman is a winner out of the top drawer.

Plenty had been convinced on the evidence of his dominant display at Saint-Cloud last month but here in the Prix Guillaume d'Ornano the imposing son of Kingman produced something different, denying Roman Candle with a last-to-first charge – "against the head" in rugby terms – as conditions, a 4lb penalty and the way the race was run all conspired against him.

Jason Watson admitted it had been far from plain sailing in the wake of a marginally lethargic exit from the stalls.

Watson said: "Nothing went right today: they went slow; the ground's riding very dead. The last time he surprised me how well he won the Group 2 at Saint-Cloud and today I just had to believe in him and it paid off."

Trainer Roger Charlton said after the Eugene Adam he saw Headman as a project for next year and while he hasn't changed his mind, he and we will hopefully get to see if his charge can land a Group 1 ahead of schedule, with Longines Irish Champions Weekend the preferred next port of call.

Headman heading out ahead of the Prix Guillaume d'Ornano

"No horse has come from off the pace all day but it was a very good effort," said Charlton. "I'm thrilled with him. He's grown up a lot, he's a proper horse and, if all goes well, the Irish Champion Stakes will probably be next.

"At Saint-Cloud the last time of the last two furlongs was very quick, he has a very good turn of foot. But that’s difficult to do under these circumstances, when they’ve already got a run on him. Next year he’ll be a very good horse."

Headman was completing a fine 40 minutes for Juddmonte hombreds and their stallions, after Frankel's Fount just got the better of Kingman's Twist And Shake in the Arqana Prix Lieurey.

And the day's Group action was rounded off in style as Olmedo bounced back from a below-par effort at Ascot to land the Prix Gontaut-Biron Hong Kong Jockey Club, his first win in an injury-interrupted spell since last May's Poule d'Essai.

"2,000 metres is really his limit and I'd look at the Prix de Moulin for him," said Jean-Claude Rouget. "Longchamp round a turn and pace to aim at is what he wants. I chose to go to Ascot but he couldn't get his breath up the straight track there."

The need for speed in his races means Rouget will also consider the US and Hong Kong for the end of the year with Olmedo.

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