Group 1 Number 10 For Enable

Enable | Racingfotos.com

Keeping it simple in Thursday's G1 Darley Yorkshire Oaks, an emotional Frankie Dettori steered Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) to an all-the-way 10th victory at the top level to reward her abundant followers with the perfect send-off in her native country. There will be one more, far greater task for her to complete to eclipse Frankel (GB) in terms of numbers in this category in the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, but Magical (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) is certainly no slouch and this performance was as convincing as any of the preceding ones. Putting the pressure on from the outset, she drew the reserves from stablemate Lah Ti Dar (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) before shaking off her Ballydoyle rival from two out for a 2 3/4-length success, with a further 10 of those back to a tamed Lah Ti Dar in third. “It's embarrassing crying on TV, but I was crying with happiness,” Dettori said after his 14th group 1 win of 2018. “She felt great and she's had a great send-off in front of the English people. The temptation in the past on her has always been to kick a bit too soon, but today I thought I'd let Ryan come to me before I kicked. I was always in control.”

Having already secured her place among the Zenyattas, the Treves, the Miesques and Allez Frances of the world, Enable is now going after the ultimate accolade available as the heroine of three Arcs. After Wednesday's showing from one of her main opponents at ParisLongchamp, Japan (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), the ball was in her court to re-establish her dominion in the middle-distance division and this typically dynamic display did just that. Making all in this en route to the Arc in 2017, there was never a question for connections to take her back with just two serious opponents lined up.

“We discussed it and as she was drawn one, there was no point complicating it and disappointing her,” Gosden revealed. “Magical came to her, but she found a lot in the last 400 metres. She built her own fractions and I think she was impressive in the last two furlongs.” Dettori added, “In fairness we wanted an exercise canter, but Magical made a race of it because she's very solid and if you gauge her performance through Magical it was amazing. This year we've had a better preparation for the Arc, but we've still got seven weeks so it will be sleepless nights until then. It's amazing, because she had a hard race in the King George and she was a bit tense today because of the crowd, but in the race she was fantastic. She has a great presence and a massive engine. I love her. I've never ridden a horse like her in my life. To have her longevity is incredible. Golden Horn was a great horse, but I only had him for a year.”

There is an argument that she could have made all in most of her great triumphs, demonstrating her adaptability and having been held up worse than mid-division throughout the early stages of the July 27 G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. she is also unusually tactically versatile. With two Arcs, two King Georges, two Yorkshire Oaks, an English and Irish Oaks, an Eclipse and a Breeders' Cup Turf to her tally she has set a standard that is unlikely to be matched again. In that respect, she is in the same bracket as Frankel albeit still some notches below that standout in terms of freakish athletic ability.

Gosden gave some insight into what makes Enable special afterwards. “You have to have power, strength and heart, but she combines that with great mentality like Nadal, Federer and Djokovic. You have to have that,” he said. “She's got an amazing mind and is such a competitor. She gets frustrated when she's not racing or training and hated that downtime after her surgery.” Of her final test, he added, “This was a nice stepping stone to the Arc, but I'm very aware of the three-year-old colts–we saw a nice one win here yesterday in Japan and Jean-Claude [Rouget] has a nice horse [Sottsass] who won the Prix du Jockey Club–I thought he looked exceptional. She's got tough competition from the three-year-old boys and there's always going to be a sneaky three-year-old filly in there, that's for sure. She's already won a Breeders' Cup, so to go out there again on fast ground after the Arc, I don't think that would be fair. Prince Khalid has always been a huge supporter of the Breeders' Cup, but I just think that is asking too much–she's given her all.”

Aidan O'Brien paid tribute to the winner, saying, “She's unbelievable,” before praising Magical. “She ran very well, it was her first run back and we are delighted with her. She has a lot of options and we'll see how she is when we bring her back. She could go to Leopardstown or something like that.”

Enable's pedigree has been analysed several times over by now, with her listed-winning and group-placed dam Concentric (GB) (Sadler's Wells) now entering Juddmonte folklore as so many others have done before her. A half to the G2 Prix de Pomone runner-up Contribution (GB) (Champs Elysees {GB}) and this year's G3 Musidora S. runner-up Entitle (GB) (Dansili {GB}), she is a granddaughter of the G3 Prix de Royaumont winner Apogee (GB) (Shirley Heights {GB}). A half to the G2 Grand Prix de Chantilly scorer and G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud runner-up Daring Miss (GB) (Sadler's Wells), Apogee produced the G2 Prix de Royallieu winner and G1 Prix de Diane runner-up Dance Routine (GB) also by Sadler's Wells and the G3 Prix Thomas Bryon winner Apsis (GB) by his son Barathea (Ire).

Dance Routine produced the multiple group and grade I hero and dual Arc runner-up Flintshire (GB) (Dansili {GB}) and is also the second dam of the GII Baltimore/Washington International Turf Cup scorer Projected (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) and this year's G2 Prix Eugene Adam and G2 Prix Guillaume d'Ornano scorer Headman (GB) (Kingman {GB}). Concentric's unraced 2-year-old filly by Frankel (GB) is named Portrush (GB), while she has a yearling colt by Sea the Stars (Ire) and a 2019 full-brother to Enable.

Thursday, York, Britain
DARLEY YORKSHIRE OAKS-G1, £425,000, York, 8-22, 3yo/up, f, 11f 188yT, 2:29.90, gd.
1–ENABLE (GB), 133, m, 5, by Nathaniel (Ire)
     1st Dam: Concentric (GB) (SW & GSP-Fr, $117,776), by Sadler's Wells
     2nd Dam: Apogee (GB), by Shirley Heights (GB)
     3rd Dam: Bourbon Girl, by Ile de Bourbon
O-Khalid Abdullah; B-Juddmonte Farms Ltd (GB); T-John Gosden; J-Lanfranco Dettori. £241,018. Lifetime Record: Hwt. 3yo-Eur at 11-14f, Hwt. Older Mare-Eur at 11-14f, MG1SW-Fr, G1SW-Ire & GISW-US, 14-13-0-1, $12,408,314. *1/2 to Contribution (GB) (Champs Elysees {GB}), MGSP-Fr; and Entitle (GB) (Dansili {GB}), GSP-Eng. Werk Nick Rating: F. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Magical (Ire), 133, f, 4, Galileo (Ire)–Halfway To Heaven (Ire), by Pivotal (GB). O-Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier & Michael Tabor; B-Orpendale, Chelston & Wynatt (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. £91,375.
3–Lah Ti Dar (GB), 133, f, 4, Dubawi (Ire)–Dar Re Mi (GB), by Singspiel (Ire). O-Lord Lloyd-Webber; B-Watership Down Stud (GB); T-John Gosden. £45,730.
Margins: 2 3/4, 10, 1HF. Odds: 0.25, 4.00, 11.00.
Also Ran: South Sea Pearl (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

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