REST easy, Enable fans. As you all prepare for the great mare’s nineteenth and, most probably final race, her legacy is not on the line. It is already assured.
Defeat at Longchamp on Sunday and, ultimately, failure in her attempt to become the first horse to win three Arc de Triomphes should not tarnish her reputation as one of Flat racing’s true greats.
It would be disappointing to anyone who craves sporting immortals, but the blemish of not being able to secure victory in Paris will not dull the sparkle.
Win, lose or draw – Enable has to be the greatest middle-distance mare of them all.
Despite what some historians will argue, her achievements are all the evidence needed.
A tally of 15 victories from 18 races includes the Oaks, Irish Oaks, Eclipse, Breeders’ Cup and she is the only horse to have won the King George and Queen Elizabeth Stakes three times.
That trio of wins in Ascot’s glittering summer highlight came with combined winning distances of more than ten lengths despite last year’s success coming by just a neck. With the mares’ 3lbs allowance, Enable came out as second best to Crystal Ocean but I’d fancy she would have held on even at level weights if they had run all the way to Bracknell.
The numbers nerds will point to her failing to match the ratings of fillies from the past but trophies are won on the track not in the calculators operated by racing knowalls.
Enable has more prizes from the contests that matter most than any other mare since top-hatted gents decided to test their steeds across the heaths of England.
Those who view their race replays through rose-tinted binoculars will throw up the likes of Sceptre, Petite Etoile, Allez France and even Pebbles with an air of ‘clever dickery’.
All wonderful race mares but none of those fine fillies have equalled Enable’s incredible exploits. Post WWII, only Treve can match her two Arc wins.
Yes, Enable has been allowed to rack up her impressive CV by her sporting owner/breeder Khalid Abdullah keeping her in training when others might have decided a career at stud would be more agreeable.
That shouldn’t detract from her exploits. It should be cheered and others should be encouraged to follow. After all, with champions like Enable, the chances of her breeding anything anywhere near as good as herself are about as likely as a full house on Champions’ Day this year.
Happily, Coolmore, the most powerful breeding operation in the world, have reached a point where retiring horses after their Classic campaigns is no longer a priority.
Enable’s old rival Magical, another Arc possible, has already won three Group 1 prizes this season having been kept in training as a five-year-old.
We’re probably enjoying the best period in that respect, which makes for more competitive racing.
With the Coronavirus pandemic certain to hit the breeding industry hard that will surely only accelerate. Sales figures are likely to tumble with supply outstripping demand.
The top pedigrees will still be coveted. After all, these bloodlines have been expertly managed over many years.
It means Enable’s exploits have come in the most competitive era of Flat racing there’s ever been. Her Breeders’ Cup defeat of Magical two years ago also mean she has done it on different continents – something American star Zenyatta and Aussie supermare Winx cannot boast.
It’s pointless trying to compare horses from different corners of the globe but Enable has to be viewed favourably for making the trip while others settle for home comforts.
She has been raising standards ever since she first set hoof on Tapeta at Newcastle nearly four years ago.
On Sunday, she could well become the first horse to win the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe – the most prestigious race in Europe – three times.
That would merely confirm her as the greatest mare to have raced in Europe. If she fails, no bother.
It’s better to have loved and lost. And Enable has been, still is and will forever be, loved.
That’s because she is simply the best.
