All Eyes on Enable for Breeders' Cup Turf

There has been no more dominant North American barn on the turf in recent years than the shedrow of two-time Eclipse Award winner Chad Brown, whose murderer's row of standouts has included four champion turf females and two Eclipse Award-winning males while accounting for eight of his 10 career Breeders' Cup wins.

As crowded as his trophy case has become, one of the few major prizes to escape his grasp is the Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T). He was a half-length from victory in it a year ago. He had the favorite two years ago, only to get runner-up honors there as well. 

And thanks to the presence of a certain bay filly who just crossed the ocean with a historic set of credentials in tow, Brown would be in the rare position—for him—of pulling the upset if this is the year his Turf angst comes to an end.

Having conquered the best in Europe, Juddmonte Farms' brilliant homebred filly Enable has traveled stateside to test the luminosity of her star power. The 4-year-old daughter of Nathaniel is aiming to become the first reigning Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (G1) winner to capture the Breeders' Cup Turf in the same season—a quest she will be the even-money favorite to achieve Nov. 3 when the 12-furlong test goes to post at Churchill Downs.

"That's obviously exciting to have her come over and participate in the Breeders' Cup, but a tall order to actually run against her," Brown said of facing Enable with his grade/group 1-winning charge Robert Bruce. "We need a lot of things to go our way."

Though history hasn't been kind to Arc winners trying to wheel back in the Turf—seven have tried, with the last being 2016 Arc heroine Found running third in that year's Breeders' Cup test—Enable is coming into this attempt with a far different approach than others who have tried the double. After capping her sophomore season with her first Arc victory in October 2017, she was put away for the rest of the year and then sidelined earlier this season with a knee ailment.

In one of the more masterful feats of horsemanship, trainer John Gosden got Enable ready for her Arc defense off a single prep race, a win in the 188bet September Stakes (G3) on the all-weather surface at Kempton. When she held off Sea of Class by a neck Oct. 7 at ParisLongchamp, she left the likes of defending Breeders' Cup Turf winner Talismanic in her wake.

"It wasn't a luxury that we missed half the season, but it is a luxury now going into the Breeders' Cup that she's had two strong starts now," said Lord Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager of Juddmonte. "So, therefore, it became a logical progression."

Entries: Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T)

Churchill Downs, Saturday, November 03, 2018, Race 10

• Grade IT
• 1 1/2m
• Turf
• $4,000,000
• 3 yo's & up
• 4:56 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Talismanic (GB)	Mickael Barzalona	126	Andre Fabre	12/1
2	2Enable (GB)	Lanfranco Dettori	123	John H. M. Gosden	1/1
3	3Channel Maker (ON)	Jose L. Ortiz	126	William I. Mott	12/1
4	4Robert Bruce (CHI)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	126	Chad C. Brown	10/1
5	5Magical (IRE)	Ryan L. Moore	119	Aidan P. O'Brien	10/1
6	6Arklow (KY)	Florent Geroux	126	Brad H. Cox	30/1
7	7Glorious Empire (IRE)	Julien R. Leparoux	126	James L. Lawrence, II	12/1
8	8Liam the Charmer (KY)	Tyler Gaffalione	126	Michael W. McCarthy	30/1
9	9Quarteto de Cordas (BRZ)	Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr.	126	Ian R. Wilkes	30/1
10	10Hi Happy (ARG)	Luis Saez	126	Todd A. Pletcher	20/1
11	11Sadler's Joy (KY)	Javier Castellano	126	Thomas Albertrani	30/1
12	12Waldgeist (GB)	Pierre-Charles Boudot	126	Andre Fabre	9/2
13	13Hunting Horn (IRE)	Wayne Lordan	122	Aidan P. O'Brien	30/1