Enable aims for history-making third Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe success at Longchamp

John Gosden’s mare will break from stall nine for the weekend’s highlight of the European Flat racing season and Europe’s richest race.

Enable became the eighth dual winner of Europe’s premier middle-distance contest last season, and was kept in training as a five-year-old with the aim of becoming the first horse to win the race for an unprecedented third time.

After gone through something of a troublesome season in preparation last term, the current season has been faultless as she has stretched her top-level tally to 10 victories with a hat-trick of Group One wins in the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown, the King George at Ascot and the Yorkshire Oaks at York. It means Gosden’s superstar, owned by Khalid Abdullah and set to be ridden once again by Frankie Dettori is the outright favourite to claim a piece of horse racing history.

Enable will be flanked in the starting stalls by the Aidan O’Brien-trained pair of Magical and Japan. Irish Champion Stakes winner Magical – who will be ridden by the trainer’s son Donnacha – is in stall eight, with her Juddmonte International-winning stable companion Japan in 10 in the hands of Ryan Moore.

All 12 remaining entries stood their ground at the final declaration stage, and Charlie Appleby’s Ghaiyyath – so impressive on his latest appearance when winning the Group 1 Grosser Preis von Baden – is widest of all in stall 12 under William Buick. Whilst all eyes will understandably be trained on Enable, Ghaiyyath, described by William Buick as an “absolute monster” when destroying the field on his way to that victory in Germany, could push Enable all the way and be the one to cause an upset.

Jean-Claude Rouget’s Prix du Jockey Club winner Sottsass is widely considered the chief hope for the home contingent, and he is drawn right against the inside rail in stall one. Rouget also has a second string to his bow in the supplemented Soft Light, who is in six.
Andre Fabre relies on Waldgeist (stall three) as he bids to add to his record tally of seven Arc wins.

The field is completed by Alex Pantall’s French King (stall five), Czech raider Nagano Gold (11) and the Japanese-trained trio of Blast Onepiece (four), Fierement (two) and Kiseki (seven). The latter was third behind Waldgeist in last month’s Prix Foy on his French debut – and will be ridden by dual Arc-winning jockey Christophe Soumillon, who has previous success in the race aboard Dalakhani in 2003 and Zarkava in 2008.

The Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe is the highlight of Sunday’s eight race card at ParisLongchamp for what promises to be a fabulous day of racing both on and off the track. The action includes the Group 1 rated Prix de l’Opéra Longines and Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp Longines

Prestige Swiss watchmaker Longines is the Official Partner and Timekeeper of the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.