Magnificent mare Enable drawn in stall nine as she bids for Arc treble

Enable will break from stall nine when she bids for an historic third victory in the Qatar Prix de l’arc de Triomphe.

John Gosden’s brilliant mare became the eighth dual winner of Europe’s premier middle-distance contest last season, and was kept in training as a five-year-old with the chief aim of becoming the first horse to win the race three times.

While she endured a troubled preparation last term, the current campaign has been faultless as she has stretched her top-level tally to ten with a hat-trick of Group One wins in the Coral-eclipse at Sandown, the King George at Ascot and the Yorkshire Oaks at York.

The Khalid Abdullah-owned superstar is an odds-on favourite to claim what would be a momentous success at Parislong champ on Sunday under Frankie Dettori.

Enable will be flanked in the starting stalls by the Aidan O’brien-trained pair of Magical and Japan. Irish Champion Stakes winner Magical is in stall eight, with her Juddmonte International-winning stable companion Japan in ten in the hands of Ryan Moore.

All 12 remaining entries stood their ground at the final declaration stage and Andre Fabre relies on Waldgeist (stall three) as he bids to add to his record tally of seven Arc wins.

Meanwhile, at Ascot today, Almania can belatedly open his account for the season in the Londonmetric Noel Murless Stakes. A winner on his second and final juvenile start of last season at Sandown, Sir Michael Stoute’s charge was pitched in at the deep end on his reappearance in the Dante at York in May and came up well short.

The son of Australia has contested four competitive handicaps since and, while he has not managed to get seriously competitive, he has not disgraced himself either.

Almania was beaten only three lengths in fifth in the King George V Stakes at Royal Ascot in June, since when he has again run well at Ascot, Goodwood and York.

Almania’s official rating of 95 puts him right in the mix today and the prospect of soft ground is not a major concern.

Kevin Ryan and Megan Nicholls can combine to land the Original Harrogate Water Handicap with Roulston Scar.

Three wins from five starts this season have led to the three-year-old’s rating rising from 77 to 98, but his latest win at York suggests the handicapper may not have caught up with him just yet.