Superstar Enable will continue to run in 2019 as she goes in search of an historic third successive Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
No horse has ever won the Arc three times, but owner Prince Khalid Abdullah is going for it – which has been greeted with delight by race fans across the world.
Enable is very much considered a global star, after also sealing the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Churchill Downs in America – the first Arc winner ever to win a Breeders Cup race.
Abdullah’s racing manager Teddy Grimthorpe is looking forward to enjoying another season with the seven-times Group One winner.
“I think Prince Khalid wanted time to reflect on the Arc and Breeders’ Cup and time to enjoy it before he started to think about the following year,” he said.
“Obviously it was important that she was in good shape when she came back. She checked out really well, so from that point of view it gave us the encouragement to go on.”
Her jockey Frankie Dettori is delighted to have the chance to be reunited her.
“It’s made my day. She showed what an incredible filly she is this year – the horse of a lifetime,” he said.
“It’s easy for horses to show their best when everything is going for them, but she had to miss most of the season with injury and to come back and do what she did was very special.”
With news that Enable is staying in training, Ladbrokes is offering odds of 7/1 that the Arc heroine will remain unbeaten in 2019.
John Gosden’s star is 4/1 to win the Arc and 5/1 to win the Breeders’ Cup Turf, while she is 8/1 to complete the double.
Nicola McGeady of Ladbrokes said: “If Enable has an uninterrupted season next year, she could actually improve from last season. It’s not often you expect mares to improve with age, but with a superstar such as Enable, we wouldn’t be surprised.”