By Tom Frary
Tanking her way through Sunday's G1 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in her inimitable style and toward immortality as the only British-trained dual winner of ParisLongchamp's monument, the even-money favourite Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) was ultimately less impressive than at Chantilly 12 months ago but the line came just in time as compatriot Sea of Class (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) bore down late. Enjoying the perfect trip from her perfect draw, the perfect scenario was on the cards as soon as the record-holding five-times Arc hero Frankie Dettori took her forward and on to the lead with 300 metres to race. While there was not the power surge evident 12 months ago, there was enough to steal a large enough advantage to be insurmountable for the impressive flourish of the year-younger Sea of Class. At the line, there was a short neck between the Newmarket fillies, with last year's runner-up Cloth of Stars (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) 3/4 of a length back in third. “She was not at her best today and this is entirely down to her and a lovely ride from Frankie on his 30th ride in the Arc,” John Gosden said. “It's been a difficult and tough year with her and it has not been the preparation we'd have wanted. She had one little runaround on the all-weather and that's not how you win an Arc. We had a hiccup between Kempton and here with a slight temperature thing, so it's not been easy. She got herself back today with her natural determination, but she was not at full fitness and this is very much down to her mind and ability. She's a wonderful filly and the ground was a bit slick and greasy–I had wanted more rain. It became a question of grit and durability and Frankie said in the last 100 metres he was in trouble but he gets himself up for these occasions and elevates himself to ride at a level nobody else can. If she is in good form, there's no reason we wouldn't try again but it's up to Prince Khalid. This is beyond wonderful and very much against the odds, so I feel an enormous sense of relief.”
Enable had entered the 2017 renewal with a lot more in her favour, having enjoyed a flawless run up to the race via some hardening tests at Epsom, the Curragh, Ascot and York and helped by the soft ground which holds back so many and only widens the divide between her and them. She was also, as Sea of Class was this time, racing under the minimum weight of 8-9 due to age and sex and so anything other than an emphatic victory would have been an anti-climax. This time, Clarehaven Stable's finest had been forced to navigate her through a variety of issues which kept her away from her planned starting points of the Coronation Cup, King George and Juddmonte International. When she resurfaced to dispose of Crystal Ocean (GB) (Sea the Stars {Ire}), albeit in receipt of eight pounds, on Kempton's Polytrack in the Sept. 8 G3 September S., she gave off all the positive energy that had characterised her performances the previous season and so it seemed to be game on for Paris.
What we found out five minutes after she lunged across the line ahead of all assembled rivals for the second time and the first time at this landmark race's spiritual home was that the last four weeks had provided extra unwelcome drama. With the draw being especially kind to counteract that, the Juddmonte dynamo sat just off the pace carved out by the Ballydoyle pair Nelson (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) and Capri (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) with Sea of Class forced to bring up the rear as James Doyle waited for a miracle. As the race's most-improved performer Nelson took the field into the “false straight”, the prospects for Sea of Class looked grim as she faced the task of making up a near-10 length deficit on Enable who was taking Frankie ever onward. As the eventual winner ground down Capri with 1 1/2 furlongs remaining, Doyle was setting about making an impact and although his mount had to switch around Tiberian (Fr) (Tiberius Caesar {Fr}) she lost minimal momentum there. Enable had gone into the clear as Cloth of Stars lived out Andre Fabre's promise that he had him where he was in 2017, but the closing effort of the Tsui family's chestnut will stand alongside some of this race's most enduring memories. For a few strides in her desperate surge for the post, it seemed almost possible that she could keep up the owners' 100 per-cent record in the race but at the final reckoning there was half of Enable's neck in the way.
Christopher Tsui was taking defeat on the chin as he pondered the run of the Irish and Yorkshire Oaks heroine from stall 15. “When they came into the straight, I thought she had absolutely no chance and I don't think I've ever seen a race like it,” he said. “To finish where she did is unbelievable. We can't do anything about the draw and we'll never know what could have happened had she been drawn lower. We are pleased with the result and James [Doyle] has been fantastic in the preparation he's done. We are very thankful for having him. Obviously, Enable is the best horse in the world right now and to finish just behind her is not bad, I think.” Maureen Haggas, daughter of Lester Piggott, revealed she had consulted with the legend shortly after the stable had learnt of the draw. “I rang my father when we found out and said 'what do we do?' and he said 'don't change tactics, drop her out the back and pray'. She has run a brilliant race and we are thrilled to bits, but sad for James [Doyle],” she said. “From that draw, she has run unbelievably well and just didn't quite get there. We can't be disappointed in any way, just sad as she's a brilliant filly and got beat. James had little alternative really from where we were drawn and let's hope she can come back next year.” Godolphin's Lisa-Jane Graffard said, “Cloth of Stars has run an absolute blinder for the second year in the Arc and finished closer to Enable this time. He has again shown his class and acceleration and run a super race. Andre has primed him perfectly for the race. We are incredibly proud.”
Teddy Grimthorpe was keen to pay tribute to Enable and said, “She probably needed the race and was not 100 per-cent, so was getting a bit tired but is all heart. She really had the dream trip and we were lucky. There couldn't be a greater honour for a breeding operation than winning the Arc again with a homebred filly who is exceptional and Prince Khalid is now tied with M. Boussac who also won six Arcs. The beauty of her is that she loves her racing and loves winning and no-one should underestimate the skills of John Gosden. He has done a great job and shown great patience and understanding to bring her here today. Now we have some decisions to make as to her next race and next year, but we'll how she comes out of this in the next week or so. Being a fresh filly, with just two races under her belt this year, she could possibly run again and the [Nov. 3 GI Breeders' Cup Turf] is one of the options.”
Given the outstanding record of Sea the Stars in the race that confirmed him as one of the greats of recent times, it is fascinating that Enable's dam Concentric (GB) (Sadler's Wells) produced a colt foal by him this year. Perhaps in 2021 he might be here too, as his relative Flintshire (GB) (Dansili {GB}) was on three occasions with two of those yielding second placings in 2014 and 2015. Perhaps her yearling filly by Frankel (GB) will get here first, while her 2-year-old full-sister to Enable named Entitle (GB) will have to put a debut sixth at Newmarket in June well behind her to reach anything like this standard. Concentric is connected to Dance Routine (GB), like her by Sadler's Wells who was runner-up in the G1 Prix de Diane and last year's GII Baltimore/Washington International Turf Cup scorer Projected (GB) (Showcasing {GB}).
Sunday, ParisLongchamp, France
QATAR PRIX DE L'ARC DE TRIOMPHE-G1, €5,000,000, ParisLongchamp, 10-7, 3yo/up, c/f, 12fT, 2:29.24, gd.
1–ENABLE (GB), 128, f, 4, 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. €2,857,000. Lifetime Record: Hwt. 3yo-Eur at 11-14f, MG1SW-Eng, G1SW-Ire, 10-9-0-1, €7,356,881. *1/2 to Contribution (GB) (Champs Elysees {GB}), MGSP-Fr. Werk Nick Rating: F. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Sea of Class (Ire), 121, f, 3, Sea the Stars (Ire)–Holy Moon (Ire), by Hernando (Fr). (170,000gns Ylg '16 TATDEY). O-Sunderland Holding Inc; B-Razza Del Velino SRL (IRE); T-William Haggas. €1,143,000.
3–Cloth of Stars (Ire), 131, h, 5, Sea the Stars (Ire)–Strawberry Fledge, by Kingmambo. (400,000gns Ylg '14 TATOCT). O-Godolphin SNC; B-Peter Anastasiou (IRE); T-Andre Fabre. €571,500.
Margins: SNK, 3/4, 3/4. Odds: 1.00, 5.40, 41.00.
Also Ran: Waldgeist (GB), Capri (Ire), Salouen (Ire), Kew Gardens (Ire), Nelson (Ire), Study of Man (Ire), Magical (Ire), Way to Paris (GB), Tiberian (Fr), Talismanic (GB), Patascoy (Fr), Defoe (Ire), Hunting Horn (Ire), Clincher (Jpn), Neufbosc (Fr), Louis d'Or (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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