Enable continued preparations Wednesday toward her bid to become the first three-time winner of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (G1) with a gallop over Newmarket’s Rowley Mile Course, after which trainer John Gosden said the mare “worked just how we wanted.”
In an interview published by the Racing Post, Gosden said it was according to plan that Enable remained near stablemate Crossed Baton, then edged clear at the end of her breeze.
“She’s gotten clever now,” Gosden said. “She’ll just — ‘I’m not going to rush up and be an exuberant young girl. I’ll just stay there and keep my measure on the lead horse.’ Like she did in the King George, that kind of way of racing now.
“She’s got older and cagey and clever about her tactics.”
In that King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes (G1) back on July 27, Enable was pushed by Crystal Ocean in what could go down as one of the best races this year. She only used what was needed to not let him by. Enable’s other victories this season came in Sandown’s Coral-Eclipse and more recently York’s Yorkshire Oaks (G1), with both of those scores over Magical.
Regular jockey Frankie Dettori was in the irons for Wednesday’s work, just inside of two weeks away from the Oct. 6 Arc at Longchamp.
According to OddsChecker.com, Enable is generally priced as around a 4-5 favorite. Gosden also made mention after the the work by Prince Khalid Abdullah’s 5-year-old homebred of rivals Japan (5-1), a 3-year-old for Aidan O’Brien and Coolmore, as well as the top French hope Scottsass (7-1), among others.
“It looks a very good Arc,” Gosden said. “She’ll have to be in top form to win it.”
Enable holds a “Win and You’re In” ticket to the Breeders’ Cup Turf — a race she won in 2018 — but is not said to be pointing toward the Nov. 2 race at Santa Anita Park, with retirement to begin a broodmare career more likely after the Arc.
