Gaul aboard

ENABLE TO BECOME ARC ICON

TWO super fillies go head to head today in a wonderful renewal of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

Last year’s winner Enable is a short-priced favourite to follow up under Frankie Dettori.

But she faces a formidable rival in Sea Of Class, ridden by the brilliant James Doyle.

Enable capped a stellar campaign with a stunning display in Europe’s premier middledistance prize a year ago, adding to Group One wins in the English, Irish and Yorkshire Oaks, as well the King George, ensuring she ended 2017 as the queen of the Turf.

She has missed most of this season but returned last month in the September Stakes at Kempton. It means she returns to France a fresh horse, whereas plenty of her rivals may be battle weary at the end of a long year.

She has a better draw than her main rival and should have enough know-how to fend off a likely late lunge from Sea Of Class.

St Leger winner Kew Gardens looks a dead cert to run a solid race and rates the best each-way value at around 12-1.

Battaash is favourite to retain his crown in the Prix de l’Abbaye if he behaves himself.

There is little doubt Charlie Hills’ gelding is the best five-furlong sprinter around when on his A-game. But a brilliant performance at Glorious Goodwood was sandwiched between two below-par efforts at Ascot and York.

However Archie Watson is confident of a huge run from Soldier’s Call, who is a real speed merchant.

The first of six Group Ones on the card is the Prix Marcel Boussac, where Ceratonia looks overpriced, while Richard Hannon’s Boitron has to overcome Freddy head’s Anodor in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere.

Andre Fabre seems sweet on Lady Frankel in the Prix de l’Opera, and it is easy to see why as his filly came home as well as anything to be third 12 months ago.

But Wild Illusion has been freshened up since her last race and will be hard to beat.