Laurens dazzles at Deauville
Front-running filly lands her sixth Group One win York being lined up as the next stop for Enable
Laurens, the star filly of 2018, blazed her way to her sixth Group One success with a dazzling display in the Prix Rothschild at Deauville yesterday.
P J Mcdonald and the Karl Burketrained Laurens were fast away and set a strong pace. When she lengthened mid-race to record a 400metre sectional time of 22.92sec on softish ground, it was a move that effectively finished off her rivals.
Unsurprisingly, she seemed to tire through the final furlong but was never going to be caught, even though last year’s winner With You battled valiantly to narrow the gap to half a length at the line. There was a length and a half back to the previously unbeaten Obligate.
Burke told Sky Sports Racing: “People were questioning whether we should have kept her in training, including John [Dance, the owner], really, he was having second thoughts and felt he had made the wrong decision.
“But she is a high-class filly and still showed us at home that she had plenty of ability. Watching it live there, she looked like she had them all at it at halfway, I know she did her usual bit of not overdoing herself in the last furlong, but 50 yards from the line she had the race won.
“I always look at the horses behind us when we are travelling well and they all looked in trouble at halfway, I was hoping PJ would kick early and go nick a length or two, which he did.”
Asked about future plans, Burke said: “I haven’t had a talk with John yet, but we have got the Prix Jean Romanet. I would be quite happy to run her there if she is fit and well, but I am not sure John wants to step her up to a mile and a quarter. If we don’t go there, I would imagine we will wait for the Matron [at Leopardstown on Sept 14].”
John Gosden reported Enable in fine fettle after her epic King George win on Saturday and expects a decision to be made about her next target within a week or so.
Owner Khalid Abdullah’s racing manager Teddy Grimthorpe told Sky Sports Racing: “I think all being well we would certainly look at York, both the Juddmonte and the Yorkshire Oaks, and see how she is.
“York is just over three weeks away but that having been said, it is just over five weeks [after York] to the Arc, so the lead-up is almost perfect.”