Enable earns place in history with Breeders’ Cup Turf success at Churchill Downs

Despite only racing for the third time this season because of injury, Enable, ridden by Frankie Dettori saw off the game Irish challenger Magical in the Breeders’ Cup Turf race.

Trained by John Gosden for owner/breeder prince Khalid Abdullah, the double Arc winner won by less than a length with Sadlers’ Joy third.

After a successful 2017 in which there were victories in the Oaks, Irish Oaks, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes and Arc, Enable’s campaign this year did not function until September following a setback in the spring. The horse has since more than made up for lost time by recording back-to-back Arc victories last month and was strongly fancied to record a place in history at Churchill Downs.

And there was no stopping Enable was given a confident ride by Frankie Dettori, who sat her just off the pace and angled her wide before the turn for home.From there, fellow Euro raider, the Aiden O’Brien-trained Magical under jockey Ryan Moore provided the biggest threat, but Enable was very much able to dismiss her, powering home for a decisive victory by three-quarters of a length. Sadler’s Joy was third nine lengths back.

To give some perspective to the magnitude of the success, eight previous winners of the Arc, including Dancing Brave (1986) and Gosden’s Golden Horn, also ridden by Dettori (2015), have been defeated in races at the Breeders Cup when lining up in the same season.

Earlier, Dettori guided Sir Michael Stoute’s Expert Eye to a perfectly-timed run to win the Breeders’ Cup Mile.

The colt was off the pace early on and still had plenty to do in the final straight, but he produced a devastating turn of foot to chase down Catapult and Analyze It in second and third respectively in the final strides. The victory by half a length also represented a first success in the prestigious Mile race for 10-time champion trainer Stoute.

Accelerate made easy work of 13 other contenders to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

One of the favourites to be the US Horse of the Year, trainer John Sadler’s improved five-year-old was settled wide in mid-division early on by jockey Joel Rosario, and went on to cap his sensational year with a lung-bursting shift to wear down the front-running Mendelssohn.
Godolphin’s Thunder Snow was well in contention with two furlongs to run but eventually could not keep up with Accelerate who ground his way home fighting off the challenge of Gunnevera by a length.

Thunder Snow kept on for third under Christophe Soumillon while Mendelssohn lost fourth to Yoshida at the death. Roaring Lion suffered an early bump and never looked happy getting hit with sand and eventually trailed home last.