By Daithi Harvey
Some of Newmarket's finest equine athletes were on show on Sunday as part of the town's Open Weekend and among them two of the stars that have lit up the season in Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) and Ulysses (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). Enable will bid to put the icing on a glorious campaign when she lines up in the G1 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Chantilly in two weeks time and despite a busy enough season her trainer John Gosden reports her in fine shape. “All being well, she's pointing for the Arc,” he said on Sunday. “She's very relaxed in her work and everything she does. We didn't want to go from the King George straight to the Arc, so she went up to York and we were able to tick her over. She took that race very well and quickly got back to her normal weight. We're now in the build up to the Arc and she will start doing some more important work this week,” Gosden added.
Enable's Newmarket neighbour and rival Ulysses is going to seek revenge on the Juddmonte filly in Paris following trainer Sir Michael Stoute's change of heart to take in the Arc en route to the GI Breeders' Cup Turf at Del Mar in November. “The Arc is very possible and we're aiming for that at the moment. The Breeders' Cup is not until five weeks after the Arc, so there's plenty of time between both races.” said Stoute. Ulysses was beaten four and a half lengths by Enable when the pair met in the G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. at Ascot in July but the Niarchos family's colt then went on to be an impressive winner of the G1 Juddmonte International at York a month later.
Sir Michael Stoute also had news on his exciting 2-year-old Expert Eye (GB) (Acclamation {GB}) who missed out a recent engagement in the G1 Goffs Vincent O'Brien National S. due to an unsatisfactory scope. “He worked yesterday morning and everything was fine,” Stoute revealed. The Juddmonte homebred will now aim for the G1 Darley Dewhurst S. at Newmarket Oct. 14.
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