The Weekly Wrap

As important as it was to see Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) define herself as the filly of her generation and perhaps as one of the ages in Saturday's G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. (Video), the presence of one man in the winner's enclosure could have greater significance in the longer term. Khalid Abdullah's son Ahmed was not a familiar sight at Ascot, but he clearly chooses his visits wisely–the last occasion he set foot on the Berkshire turf was when Dancing Brave took the race 31 years earlier.

As self-effacing as the Saudi Arabian owner himself, Ahmed Abdullah spoke briefly when finding himself next to a small handful of journalists under umbrellas in the driving rain. In the Dancing Brave era he was at college in America, from where his English has retained just the trace of a lilt, and he was already looking forward to reporting back to his father with the trophy in the same way his brother must have done after seeing Arrogate claim the G1 Dubai World Cup in March.

“We all do,” he replied when asked if he shared the family's passion for racing, “but we always take a back stage.”

There has been downsizing and even rumours of a major Juddmonte dispersal a few years back, following the best part of four decades over which its name has become a byword for quality. Times could hardly be more exciting for all those involved in the breeding operation, though, with the likes of Frankel (GB), Dansili (GB) and Oasis Dream (GB) at Banstead Manor Stud and, presumably, Arrogate to head to Kentucky next year.

The next step for Enable will be next month's G1 Yorkshire Oaks before a probable challenge for genuine greatness in the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. It will be worth noting whether Prince Ahmed or one of his brothers re-emerge from their positions in the wings for that one.

Enable's trainer John Gosden could also be responsible for the stewardship of another evocative set of racing silks later this week. Emirates Prince (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), a half-brother to the high-class Moonlight Magic (GB) (Cape Cross {Ire}) and Masterstroke (Monsun {Ger}), has been entered in a mile maiden at Newmarket on Friday night and could be a first runner for Sheikha Al Jalila. Sheikh Mohammed has passed on his old maroon and white colours to his 9-year-old daughter and has been on record that she is already showing interest in the game. Suffice to say it is rather important to the industry that this is sustained.

Head Start At Deauville…

The beginning of Deauville's recognised summer season sees the return of most of the premier French performers and it was Freddy Head who had the first word by winning a couple of Sunday's races with smart 2-year-old fillies. He began with Polydream (Ire) (Oasis Dream {GB}), who justified her position as favourite in resounding style in the Prix de Lisieux (Video) for unraced maidens. Her dam Polygreen (Fr) (Green Tune), also bred by the Wertheimers, was a filly of some attachment to Head.

“She was my first runner in America, she ran in a handicap in 2002 (GIII Athenia S. at Aqueduct),” he said. “I'd say the two of them are quite similar, Polydream is maybe a little more precocious. I like her a lot, I knew she was going to run well, and we might go back for a Group 3 at the end of the month.”

Incidentally Polygreen has an Invincible Spirit (Ire) yearling filly offered as lot 234 by Ecurie des Monceaux at Arqana in just over two weeks' time.

Shadwell's Tantheem (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}) then set off in front and strolled three and a half lengths clear in the G3 Prix de Cabourg (Video) which has advanced the careers of Ervedya (Fr) and Dabirsim (Fr) in recent seasons.

“She's a very keen filly, hard to restrain, so I told the jockey to let her do what she wants,” Head said. “She was beaten by a filly trained by my sister [Criquette] High Dream Milena (Fr) (Dabirsim {Fr}), who was fourth in the [G2] Prix Robert Papin, so I knew she was quite good. We might look at coming back for the [G1] Prix Morny now.”

The trainer was also just a quarter of a length away from causing quite an upset in Sunday's G1 Prix Rothschild (Video) as Siyoushake (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}), formerly in the care of Jonathan Pease, ran a career-best at the age of five without being able to get past Aidan O'Brien's doughty 'TDN Rising Star' Roly Poly (War Front). It sounds as if Head's manoeuvres in the remainder of the maiden and conditions events by the Normandy seaside will be worth monitoring.

“I usually wait for Deauville as lots of my owners like runners there,” he said. “I haven't got a champion or anything much for the big ones, but the 2-year-olds are looking nice.”

So Farhh So Good?

Put in the shade by Frankel and Nathaniel for much of his racing career, Farhh (GB) has again taken a far lower profile as his stallion career gets underway for Sheikh Mohammed and Darley at Dalham Hall. The son of Pivotal (GB) has only 38 named foals in his first crop. However, the early signs have been auspicious, with his first winner coming in Italy in early June through Fa Ul Sciur (GB)followed by an eye-catching performance to get him off the mark in Britain on Friday night.

Even as a lover of cheesy wordplay, the naming of Wells Farhh Go (Ire) is enough to elicit a groan, and it looked as if Tim Easterby and his connections had lost most of their 16,000 gns investment from Tattersalls Book 3 with the youngster struggling at the back of the field two from home in seven-furlong novice median auction at York (Video). The 14-1 newcomer was still half a dozen lengths down at the furlong pole before launching himself towards Laugh A Minute (GB), who had already made a promising debut at Ascot. Wells Farhh Go quickened right past the favourite and went two and a quarter lengths clear. Easterby had bought him on spec and is still part-owner.

“He's a big and very good-looking horse–my type of horse–and we'd been looking forward to running him for a while,” he explained. “He was very free, keen early on, and he'll keep improving. I think he's very nice and it's just a question of finding the races. I could run him in the Acomb at York, or maybe a race over a mile.”

Never out of the first three in 10 runs, Farhh started off in handicaps and might have achieved far more than his G1 Lockinge and Champion S. wins if not for soundness issues during his 5-year-old season. It would be dangerous to write him off prematurely in his new vocation. Easterby has also hit his stride at the right time with 15 winners in the last fortnight and, appropriately for a man whose surname probably rivals only the Brontës in prominence in their home county, a heap of them came during the Go Racing In Yorkshire Summer Festival.

“We were a bit slow with the 2-year-olds but they're coming now,” he said. “Bow Belles (GB) (Kyllachy {GB}), who won at Ripon, is a nice one, she can trap a bit.”

New Duties For Trip To Paris…

After meeting the 1992 G1 Melbourne Cup winner Subzero (Aus) and his long-time human helper Graham Salisbury and hearing some affecting tales of their visits to schools and care homes, I have always thought that past greats with suitable temperaments should be used in as productive a way in other countries. Amberleigh House, who died earlier in the year, was one such example and returned in his Grand National rug to see children at the Alder Hey hospital in Liverpool. He spent much of his retirement at the National Stud, which announced last week that it would be taking on Trip To Paris (Ire) (Champs Elysees {GB}) as its latest tourist attraction.

The 2015 G1 Gold Cup winner, who was not far off emulating 'Subbie' at Flemington, will be learning some new tricks for Retraining of Racehorses shows in the near future and might provide some competition for 2007 Melbourne runner-up Purple Moon (Ire), who has been monopolising the rosettes. A chance to be up close to an authentic sporting champion that you can pat on the head–probably not applicable to Sir Geoff Hurst or Martina Navratilova–is something many of us take for granted and it surely one of racing's greatest assets to impact upon the uninitiated, especially as so many horses either head for breeding or remain in private hands.

Along with the RoR residents now stabled at Palace House, hopefully Trip To Paris will greet plenty of friends old and new.