Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
BREEDERS’ CUP Enable to rest on laurels pending decision on future
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Enable courageously ran her way into the record books Saturday at Churchill Downs, becoming the first horse to win both the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and the Breeders’ Cup Turf in the same year. Now, the question is whether Enable will be given the opportunity to make more history in 2019.
A decision on that will not be made in the short term, according to Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager for Prince Khalid Abdullah’s Juddmonte Farms, which bred and owns the superstar 4-year-old filly. Grimthorpe did say that Enable would certainly not run again in 2018.
“We’ll take the time to A) enjoy and B) consider the options and all the implications that come with it,” Grimthorpe said Sunday morning by phone from Lexington, Ky. “Of course, the racing fans love to see a filly like this, but in the end we have to do the right thing by the filly as well.
“I think the beauty of this is there’s no great hurry either way. Prince Khalid can take his time and decide what he wants to really do. She won’t race again this year, so there’s no impending schedule, as it were. I think the main thing is to get her back home and make sure she’s okay. It’s a lovely decision to be able to make.”
Grimthorpe said Enable, who was scheduled to fly back to trainer John Gosden’s yard in Newmarket, England, on Monday, came out of the BC Turf in good order.
“She ate up, she’s very pleased with herself, and she’s in good form, I’m delighted to say,” Grimthorpe said.
There is nothing left to prove for Enable, who overcame a difficult year to win the Arc for a second straight year in October. It was just her second start of the year, one plagued by a knee injury that kept her away from the races until Sept. 8. Then, following her victory in the Group 3 September Stakes at Kempton, Enable developed a temperature that cost her a week of training time. At less than 100 percent, Enable won the Arc by a neck over Sea of Class.
In the Breeders’ Cup Turf, Enable won over ground she didn’t particularly like while being double-teamed by the Aidan O’Brien-trained duo of Hunting Horn and Magical. Hunting Horn shadowed Enable for a good mile of the 1 1/2-mile Turf. Jockey Frankie Dettori took Enable back, then around Hunting Horn going into the third turn.
Turning into the stretch, Enable was farthest out, beyond the crown of the turf course, while Magical snuck through along the inside of Hunting Horn. In the end, Enable proved best, beating Magical by threequarters of a length under Dettori, who won the Turf for the fifth time.
“It wasn’t made easy for us,” Gosden said Saturday. “We were attended by Hunting Horn, and it was a really tough race, and she just showed her mental strength to win it. Full marks to her, to the owner and breeder who wanted to bring her here. Prince Khalid has been a great supporter of the Breeders’ Cup since the beginning.”
Enable improved her record to 10 wins from 11 starts, with seven Group 1 or Grade 1 victories and earnings of $10,705,631. She earned a 114 Beyer Speed Figure for the Turf.
O’Brien said after the race that Magical, who won the Group 1 British Fillies and Mares Champions Stakes in between losses to Enable, would return to Ballydoyle and likely be prepared for a 4-year-old season.
Sadler’s Joy was the best of the North American-based horses, finishing third, 9 3/4 lengths behind Enable. Trainer Tom Albertrani said after the race that Sadler’s Joy would be shipped to Florida on Sunday and be brought back for a 7-year-old campaign in 2019.
“Keep him healthy and sound and hopefully have another year,” Albertrani said.
Arklow, fourth in the Turf, also will remain in training and could point to the $7 million Pegasus Turf at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 26, trainer Brad Cox said.