Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
SOT TOO HOT
Enable fails in record-breaking bid as she trails in sixth
CRISTIAN MISSION Cristian Demuoro celebrates victory on the Jean-claude Rouget-trained Sottsass
HISTORY proved beyond Enable in the Prix de l’arc de Triomphe as Sottsass led home a clean sweep for the French at Parislongchamp.
The Frankie Dettori-ridden dual winner – victorious at Chantilly in 2018 and in n Paris 12 months later – was sa a hot favourite to become e the first horse to win Europe’s middledistance championship three times.
But, after a sensational nal
Arc build-up – at the end d of a Covid-19-ravaged season, bottomless ground led to the defection of the Aidan O’brientrained favourite, Love, before her four Ballydoyle stablemates were ruled out after eating contaminated feed – it was the home guard who held sway in the race itself.
The Jean-claude Rougetsaddled Sottsass and j ockey Cri sti an D emuro, third to Wal d gei st and Enabl e the previous October, held on grimly by a neck from In Swoop, with Persia Persian King in third.
Enable and stablec companion Stradivarius crossed the line in sixth and seventh , and a downcast Dettori said: ““It was too deep – it ki killed her action.
“W “When I pressed t he button, there was nothing there. She was exactly where I wanted her, but she couldn’t pick her legs up in the ground.”
John Gosden (left) , who trains the six-year-old mare for Prince Khalid Abdullah, added: “It was the pace and the ground. It’s as simple as that.
“Once the Ballydoyle horses were non-runners, the whole race changed. If w e’d h a d the Sovereigns and Serpentines in there to up the pace, it would d have been very different.”
The race is widely expected to be Enable’s last, but Gosden added: “Whether she retires or r has won more race is entirely y Prince Khalid’s decision.”
The British and Irish left Paris with one winner apiece as Tarnawa lift ed th e P ri x de l’op era , whi l e On e Mast er captured the Prix de la Forêt for the third time in a row.
Jessica Marcialis made history y as the first woman to partner a Group 1 Flat winner in France, riding Tiger Tanaka to triumph in the Prix Marcel Boussac.