Taking on the older horses in the G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. requires a special constitution, and the fact that so few 3-year-old fillies have attempted it speaks volumes. At Ascot on Saturday, Khalid Abdullah's Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) bids to enter the elite territory opened up by the magnificent Dahlia in 1973 and occupied by only Pawneese (Ire) three years later and by Taghrooda (GB) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) in 2014. Despite the significant weight-for-age concession and sex allowance granted to them, it is surprising how few have tried and of the high-class element to have done so only Eswarah (GB) (Unfuwain) has proved disappointing in 2005. Even Oh So Sharp (Ire) managed to beat her elders in 1985 only to lose out to a colt from her generation in Petoski (GB), so the portents are strong for the Juddmonte homebred. By the 2011 King George hero, who raced for the same John Gosden stable and was also three at the time, Enable has impeccable credentials for this race following inspiring successes by a cumulative margin of 10 1/2 lengths at Epsom on June 2 and The Curragh a fortnight ago.
Dahlia came from the Irish Oaks to win this by six lengths in then-record time after a break of just a week 44 years ago, so the fortnight that Enable has enjoyed seems a sabbatical in comparison. Connections were only keen to commit after she had given clear indication that she was ready, and the gathered brains and instincts of her owner-breeder, Teddy Grimthorpe, John Gosden and Frankie Dettori can be trusted to make the right call in that respect.
For Gosden, Enable's endeavour makes perfect sense. “She took Ireland very well. She got a little cut behind, but that has healed,” he said. “Her races have been very spread out so far. She has done well physically and this is only a two-week gap, but she has taken her races really well. There's quite a gap to the Yorkshire Oaks and we feel two weeks should be enough.”
Enable's 5 1/2-length dismissal of Rain Goddess (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the Irish Oaks confirmed the conspicuous merit of her previous heavy defeat of Rhododendron (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) at Epsom, and it could be argued placed her above the middle-distance colts around. Reaction to her inclusion in this feature was dramatic, with short-priced favouritism ripped from the long-time ante-post market leader Highland Reel (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and handed to her in an instant.
“She skipped clear of some very nice fillies in Ireland. She flew over, so she didn't have the strain of a 15-hour journey through Holyhead on the ferry, either,” Gosden added. She's obviously a progressive filly. She's always been a beautiful filly since day one, but she has done nothing but improve through her races. She goes on pretty much most ground. Nobody wants to see it go heavy, but some give in the ground wouldn't bother her at all.”
Not only did Enable bring Frankie Dettori back prematurely from injury, she has also drawn the Italian into a wasting program reserved only for the very best big-race mounts as he descends to 8 stone 7. “She has all the weapons you need,” the 46-year-old stated. “Three times–at Chester [in the Listed Cheshire Oaks], Epsom and in Ireland–she has shown to me and the racing world she has a good cruising speed and great turn of foot. At the back of my mind I knew she would win at The Curragh, but even I was taken by the way she did it. I was probably more impressed than at Epsom. Her turn of foot was electric for a stayer.”
Ironically, Dahlia was one of only two multiple winners of this event alongside Swain (Ire), which is a demonstration of how difficult it is to carry superiority over to another year. While Highland Reel has blatantly progressed with age, this test demands far greater reserves than the previous year's edition. Beating Wings of Desire (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) and Dartmouth (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) on typically fast summer ground was well within his comfort zone, but it is notable that none of the six rivals he encountered in 2016 are deemed good enough to have come back this time. After two successes on a quick surface, most recently at the expense of Ulysses (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the G1 Prince of Wales's S. at the Royal meeting on June 21, the luck of Derrick Smith's bell-wether has taken a downturn. Coolmore's UK representative Kevin Buckley said, “We are very mindful of the weather, I must admit. Highland Reel likes Ascot. He does prefer good or better ground and I must point that out. He is tough and durable and gives his all every time. It's nice to see the general racing public recognises that. He deserves that as he holds a special place in everyone's heart.”
O'Brien is relying on Highland Reel's natural desire to overcome adversity. “He's tactically very quick, he's very like his dad. He stays well, but is also very quick out the gates, very good to get a position and he would absolutely die for you,” he explained. “It's incredible, he's so genuine. He's travelled the world and has an unbelievable constitution. He is a typical example of what his dad was. So he's very clear-winded, very sound and has a great mind. On the big day, on the big races, you see he gets his blood up when he needs to.”
Also in contention is Highland Reel's full-brother Idaho (Ire), which gives the race a fascinating extra angle and he brings the form of the June 24 G2 Hardwicke S. to bear. While he has to improve on the bare form of that course-and-distance contest, he at least has form on this type of surface having finished third in the 2016 G1 Epsom Derby and runner-up in the Irish equivalent. “Idaho has not won a Group 1 race yet, whereas Highland Reel has won six of them on three continents,” Kevin Buckley added. “Whether we can say Idaho is good as his brother, it is hard to say. It's a hard act to follow, but he is clipping at his heels.” O'Brien added, “Both horses are well, but the ground is the thing. Idaho has form with ease in the ground and Highland Reel has a little bit, too. We would be happy with good-to-soft and hopefully it won't get any worse than that.”
Two others bubbling under are last year's G1 Prince of Wales's S. winner My Dream Boat (Ire) (Lord Shanakill), who looked in need of this trip when a latest fourth in the July 2 G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, and the G1 Eclipse S. third Desert Encounter (Ire) (Halling), but of special interest is Sixties Song (Arg) (Sixties Icon {GB}). Following on from the North American and Far Eastern pioneers to have created history in this race in recent times, the 4-year-old becomes the contest's first South American-trained runner. How his success in the G1 Longines Gran Premio Latinoamericano at Valparaiso on Mar. 5 stands up to this remains to be seen, but it will be intriguing to find out. “Previously, Sixties Song used to go to the front because he was quite keen, but in the Gran Premio Carlos Pellegrini we decided to drop him in and he settled really well. That is when we realised he had more to give and could be quite a serious horse,” explained trainer Alfredo Gaitan. “I do not come from a racing family or a racing background. I am the first trainer in my family and used to work as petrol pump attendant. In my first year as a trainer, I won the Gran Premio Carlos Pellegrini. From that today to now I have had a fantastic career. The Pellegrini in Argentina is like the King George but in our country. I have been lucky enough to win it five times. We are honoured and lucky to have Sixties Song who can bring us to race in England where turf racing started. It is a great experience and to win would be even better.”
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