ABLE AND WINNING

Graham Buddry remembers the career of legendary Arc-conquering superhorse Enable

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The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is justly considered the premier race in all of Europe and since its inception in 1920 it has been won by many greats of the turf, such as Sea Bird II, Mill Reef, Allez France, Dancing Brave and Sea The Stars. By 2017 only seven horses in all that time had ever won the race twice, most recently Ribot, Alleged and Treve.

Over in England we had the King George and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, inaugurated in 1951 and it quickly became the preeminent race in Europe. Into the new century its position waned a little but is still generally acknowledged as the second most important race on the continent. Again it was a race for horses of the highest class with winners including Ribot, Nijinsky, Mill Reef, Brigadier Gerard and Dancing Brave among them yet going into 2017 only two horses, the incredible Dahlia and Swain had managed to win the race twice.

Enable was bred to be a superstar. Her sire was Nathaniel, himself by Galileo then Sadlers Wells, Northern Dancer and Nearctic before him. Nathaniel included Roberto and American star, Tom Rolfe in his own pedigree. On Enable's dam sire side Sadlers Wells, Northern Dancer and Nearctic appear again while on the distaff line Shirley Heights, Mill Reef, Ile de Bourbon, Nijinsky and Northern Dancer appear along with Habitat, himself an exceptional influence on speed through the female lines.

Born at Prince Khalid Abdullah's Juddmonte Farms Stud on 12 February 2014 the good looking bay was eventually sent into training with John Gosden and made her only appearance as a 2yo on the all weather surface at Newcastle on November 28, 2016. She won this nine-runner race with consummate ease at odds of 7/2.