JUST IGNORE THE ANORAKS, ENABLE IS A TRUE GREAT

NO SOONER had Enable retired on Monday than the clever Dicks came out of the woodwork to tell us the great mare wasn’t all that.

Racing has more than its fair share of know-it-alls, desperate to pour cold water on the passion that fires this great sport — and I have no wish to join the trainspotters’ sad and bitter band.

The naysayers argue that, for all her achievements on the racecourse, Enable’s rating doesn’t entitle her to be considered among the true greats.

With regard to the numbers, since when were handicap ratings the sole metric of what makes a great racehorse?