Enable, who will campaign in 2020 as a 6-year-old, was this week named a co-World's Best Racehorse along with two other European stars despite not winning her target race in 2019, the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
Trainer John Gosden said at a ceremony in London that another shot at the Arc, which Enable won in 2017 and 2018, is her main goal again with Royal Ascot a likely starting point.
“If you aim for the autumn, you don’t want to be starting in the spring,” Gosden said, according to The Guardian. “We aimed at Ascot last year and ended up running in the Eclipse [in July]. We’ll see how she is make the decision together, but the final thing is that the decision will be taken by the filly herself.”
Campaigned by Prince Khalid Abdullah, the daughter of Nathaniel has won 13 of 15 career races. Waldgeist, another "World's Best Racehorse" from 2019, defeated her over soft, tiring ground in the Arc with a late rally. Crystal Ocean was the third horse tied for the award, which is based on the rating of a horse's single-best performance in Grade/Group 1 competition.
While Enable has run in and won multiple races at Ascot, competing during the prestigious royal meeting would be new for her. Last year before her season debut was pushed back, connections were considering either the Prince of Wales's Stakes (G1) or the Hardwicke (G2).
"She’s got a sense of demeanor and brilliance about her and I can’t say how pleased I am that she’s stayed in training," Enable's jockey, Frankie Dettori, told The Guardian. "I know the Arc is nine months away but that’s the main target. We very rarely get these types of horses so let’s all enjoy it.”
