British Champions Day Under Consideration for Enable
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Photo: Edward Whitaker/Racing Post
Jockey Frankie Dettori and Enable finish unplaced in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at ParisLongchamp
Enable (GB) was back in action on the Newmarket gallops Oct. 8, just four days after her Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (G1) disappointment, and the signs are that she could yet have one last hurrah before retirement on QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot Oct. 17
While an official announcement on her future is not expected from Juddmonte until Monday, the 11-time group 1 winner looked none the worse for her ParisLongchamp defeat when cantering on Newmarket's Warren Hill Polytrack.
Although the Arc was run on desperate ground, Enable may well not have taken that much out of herself when sixth to Sottsass as she could never land a blow in a messy race that was run at a dawdle.
A bid to go out on a high at Ascot would make sense as she is unbeaten at the track and completed a hat trick in the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes (G1) in July.
Although British Champions Day has been staged on testing ground in the past, the going is unlikely to be as slow as it was in Paris, and organizers have the option of a last-minute move to the inner track if needed.
If she does make one final curtain call, it is understood that is likely to be in the British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes (G1) over the same distance of a mile and a half rather than the shorter trip of the QIPCO Champion Stakes (G1).
Trainer John Gosden said: "Enable did one canter on Warren Hill this morning and seems fine after her trip to Paris. Whether she runs again or not is up to her owner, Prince Khalid Abdullah, and I think a decision about her future will be made after the weekend."
John Gosden at Newmarket the day before Enable's race in the Arc de Triomphe
Enable has been introduced into the betting for the Fillies & Mares Stakes by three bookmakers in the past few days, including Paddy Power, who have made her their 13-8 favorite.
Spokesman Paul Binfield said: "We've had a few inquiries about Enable for Ascot recently, and we have put her in at 13-8 for the Fillies & Mares. She didn't look to have too hard a race in France, which suggests she may run again. The Fillies & Mares would seem the most logical option, and if she were to turn up on the day, I would expect her to go off at odds-on."
Gosden has won two of the past four runnings of the Fillies & Mares Stakes with Journey (2016) and Star Catcher (2019).