By Emma Berry
NEWMARKET, UK—Despite being bred and trained in Newmarket, Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) has never raced in her home town but she set foot on the Rowley Mile on Wednesday for a crucial piece of fast work ahead of her bid for an historic third victory in the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
A prolonged dry spell in East Anglia has rendered the town's extensive network of turf gallops too firm for galloping, and while Enable does much of her work on the all-weather surface of the Al Bahathri gallop close to her home at Clarehaven, John Gosden felt an away trip, albeit only to the other side of town, would be to the mare's benefit.
“This was just what we wanted,” he said after Enable had completed her exercise with Frankie Dettori alongside her stablemate Crossed Baton (GB) (Dansili {GB}), ridden by Rab Havlin.
“We went back to the mile and we were very pleased with the work, she built it up nicely. I wanted her just to stay with her lead horse—we're not here to see if she could go eight lengths clear or anything like that—but I'm very pleased, and she's had a good healthy blow. It went to plan which doesn't always happen with work mornings.”
Accompanied by son and assistant trainer Thady, as well as Juddmonte's racing manager Lord Grimthorpe, Gosden continued, “I walked the Limekilns [gallops] yesterday and they've been very dry for seven or eight weeks, so it was perfect to be able to come here. It is watered ground and we had seven or eight millimetres of rain yesterday so it is perfect—it's good ground, perfect racing ground.”
Enable appeared unfazed by the fairly large media throng which accompanied her appearance at the racecourse, going about her exercise in her usual unflappable manner, ears pricked and attentive throughout. She came alive once asked to step up a gear, however, taking a hold with Dettori as she cantered down the track before galloping back towards the stands.
Her trainer added, “She enjoys herself, she pulled Frankie all the way down to the Rubbing House and then she worked just how we wanted on the way back.”
Assessing the likely competition for Enable at ParisLongchamp on Sunday week, Gosden said, “We have the best 3-year olds in the form of Sottsass (Fr), who is the best 3-year old in France, and Japan (GB), who is looking like the best 3-year old colt right now, so she has those two to contend with, who she will give weigh to. Then in France there is also Waldgeist (GB), and if the ground remains like it is at the moment he will run a huge race. Andre [Fabre] tells me he's training better than ever as a 5-year-old and he is taking the work well, and he won his trial well. And of course from here we have from the best older horse Ghaiyyath (Ire), who came right back to his top form in the Grosser Preis Von Baden when he destroyed the field, and there's every reason to think that he's found his way again now having lost it in the spring. He's a mighty rival, so I think it's a race of great depth. It looks a very good Arc. She'll have to be in top form to win it, but you have to be to win a race like that.”
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