Mighty Enable will use York as Arc tune-up
ENABLE has been given the green light to run in the Yorkshire Oaks at York’s Ebor meeting on August 22.
Enable’s titanic struggle when defeating Crystal Ocean in last week’s mile-and-a-half King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes had left trainer John Gosden questioning whether running at the Ebor meeting was advisable.
After all, the main objective of the mare’s season is trying to win an unprecedented third Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in October.
Gosden had the option of giving Enable, who won the mile-and-aquarter Eclipse Stakes on her season comeback, a break from racing to freshen her up for her autumn target.
But Gosden has opted to run in the mile-and-a-half Yorkshire Oaks in what could be Ena ble’ s last appearance on British soil rather than the potentially hotter and two furlongs shorter Juddmonte International Stakes at York 24 hours earlier.
Lord Grimthorpe, racing manager to Enable’s owner Khaled Abdullah, said: ‘As we know, her main aim is the Arc. We know she is effective over a mile and a quarter but John didn’t want to bring her back in distance again.
‘We thought the Yorkshire Oaks would be more suitable bearing in mind her main objective. She has come out of the King George very well which is why John wants to run her before the Arc.’
Enable won the Yorkshire Oaks in 2017 en route to her first Arc win.
Gosden has an amazing bunch of fillies including Coronet, Mehdaayih, Star Catcher, Lah Ti Dar and Oaks winner Anapurna, who has also been mentioned as a Yorkshire Oaks possible. Add the imposing Enbihaar, who won yesterday’s Group Two Lillie Langtry Stakes at Glorious Goodwood by five lengths from Manuela De Vega.
The Group Two Park Hill Stakes at Doncaster’s St Leger meeting and even the Group One Irish Leger could come into calculations.
Enbihaar carries the colours of Sheik Hamdan Al Maktoum, which were al so sported by equally impressive Charlie Hills- trained two-an d-three-quarter-length Stewards’ Cup winner Khaadem. The Jim Crowley-ridden winner, available at 16-1 earlier in the week but backed into 4- 1 favouritism, looks a group-race class act and that will be tested in next month’s Group One Haydock Sprint Cup.
Hills, who made it four Glorious Goodwood winners for the week when debutant two-year-old Persuasive won, said: ‘I think he could end up being a top-notch horse.’