Frankie’s tearjerker
Enable showered with kisses after superb win
FRANKIE DETTORI was reduced to tears after his favourite horse Enable won her last race in Britain with a brilliant display in the Yorkshire Oaks. The four-horse contest could have been a banana skin, with trainer John Gosden fearing it would be a messy, tactical affair.
But Dettori and his mount, the 1-4 favourite, made all the running to see off old rival Magical, ridden by Ryan Moore, by two and three-quarter lengths.
When Enable skipped away with two furlongs of the mile-and-a-half race to go, the Yorkshire crowd, who had seemed gripped by nervous tension, raised the roof.
An emotional Dettori, who covered the mare in kisses after his flying dismount, said: ‘I don’t want to say too much because I am tearful. I am getting to know her more and more.
‘Perhaps in the past I used to kick too soon. I thought I would let Ryan come to me and then put the race to bed. When I gave her a little tap, she put her head down and took off.
‘Magical is no slouch. She is very solid and you can gauge the performance through her. Enable was amazing today because she had a very hard race in the King George (last month).
She was a bit tense, perhaps that was the crowd. But in the race she was fantastic. I love her so much. I will never have another horse like her in my life.’
The shot at an historic third win in the Arc at Longchamp on October 6 is next. Lying in wait will be International Stakes 1-2 Japan and Crystal Ocean, as well as French Derby winner Sottsass.
Enable is odds-on favourite to do what no other horse has done.
The second Yorkshire Oaks win can be added to her second win in the King George this season, as well as her success in the Eclipse Stakes at Sandown.
Yesterday’s win was her tenth at Group One level, matching the achievement of the mighty Frankel, who like Enable carried the colours of Khaled Abdullah.
Looking forward to the Arc, Dettori added: ‘We still have seven weeks to go, so there are going to be some sleepless nights.’
Enable won her second Arc last year after an injury and illness-interrupted preparation. This time things have gone smoothly.
Gosden said: ‘She wasn’t at her best last year in the Arc. If she goes back to her three-year-old form, which she looks like she is showing, she is mighty tough to beat.
‘She has this amazing competitive mind. If you were married to her, you would have to jolly well listen.’
Meanwhile, owner Steve Parkin, who booked Tony Hadley of Spandau Ballet fame for his traditional Ebor meeting party last night, had plenty to celebrate after Karl Burke-trained Living In The Past struck gold in the Lowther Stakes.
The 12-1 shot, who carries Parkin’s Clipper Logistics colours, beat favourite Liberty Beach three-quarters of a length and is now likely to head to the Group One Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket.