Frankie Dettori upbeat over Enable Breeders' Cup
Frankie Dettori believes "records are there to be broken" as Enable gears up for the Breeders' Cup Turf at Churchill Downs.
The four-year-old will be trying to defy the weight of history in becoming the first Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner to follow up at the feature American meeting. She is Sky Bet's 4/7 favourite.
Enable has had a limited campaign following an early-season setback, but roared back to her best with a second win in the European middle-distance championship at the start of October.
The Italian thinks that shortened season can play in favour of the John Gosden-trained filly, as she looks to succeed where the likes of Dancing Brave and others have failed, including the Dettori-ridden Golden Horn.
He said: "I'm aware of the fact that no horse has won an Arc and a Breeders' Cup Turf, but records are there to be broken. In favour of Enable, she has only raced twice, is very fresh in herself and seems to have travelled over well, and she's shown her versatility winning around Chester and Epsom and also a King George in soft ground. You never can be completely certain that everything is spot on, but you certainly wouldn't suspect it (anything wrong) with this filly."
Dettori has two other rides on Saturday's card. Eziyra in the Filly & Mare Turf for Dermot Weld and Sir Michael Stoute's Expert Eye in the Mile.
Like Enable, Expert Eye (7/1 Sky Bet - four places) runs in the colours of Khalid Abdullah and Dettori is upbeat about his chance after he finished third to Recoletos in the Prix du Moulin last time out.
He said: "I think Expert Eye has a very good chance in the Mile. He was a bit of a handful early in his career, but is different now. I won on him at York and he ran super in the Moulin. He's drawn seven, in the middle on Saturday, which isn't bad at all, but as everyone knows in the Mile you need to get all the breaks. You also need more of a seven-furlong horse than a miler, as the emphasis is on speed."
Dettori admits Churchill Downs has a special place in his heart as he partnered his first Breeders' Cup winner at the track some 24 years ago in the Mile.
He added: "The Breeders' Cup brings back a lot of great memories for me, as it was on Barathea, who was bred by Gerald Leigh and owned by Sheikh Mohammed, that I had my first winner at the meeting in 1994 at the age of 23. To win a Breeders' Cup race at that age was amazing, and I sealed it with my first flying dismount."
Fate of the Arc winners
The last seven Arc winners to subsequently pitch up at the Breeders' Cup have met with defeat, and here we look at the fortunes of the last five horses to attempt the double:
Found (2016)
Despite having won the Breeders' Cup Turf the previous year, Found had to settle for third behind stablemate Highland Reel when she tried to double up. A length-and-three-quarters winner at Chantilly, Found was well tested by Aidan O'Brien with a Champion Stakes second punctuating her Arc-Breeders' Cup double-header. Ultimately well beaten at Santa Anita, a stumble when leaving the stalls hardly helped her chances.
Golden Horn (2015)
John Gosden's runner lined up at Keeneland not only as an Arc winner, but also that year's Derby, Eclipse and Irish Champion Stakes victor. The three-year-old was all the rage in the Turf, but the ground was unexpectedly good in Kentucky that year and after a tardy start, he just could not fend off the late thrust of Found, going down by half a length.
Dylan Thomas (2007)
Having his ninth start of the year for Aidan O'Brien on unsuitably soft ground at Monmouth Park, Dylan Thomas never looked like following up his famous Arc success in the Turf. Having shown his very best on a sound surface, Dylan Thomas was all at sea on the testing New Jersey terrain and quickly ran out of gas before finishing fifth to English Channel.
Sakhee (2001)
A stunning six-length victory in the Arc prompted the Godolphin team to take the brave route and tackle the Americans at their own game on the dirt in the Breeders' Cup Classic. Frankie Dettori had the colt in the firing line at the top of the straight and he looked to have stolen the advantage with a furlong to run. However, Tiznow was relentless in his pursuit and eventually edged in front on the line, snatching a heartbreaking nose verdict in a photo.
Subotica (1992)
Having held dual Classic winner User Friendly at bay by a neck in the Arc, Andre Fabre sent his four-year-old to Gulfstream Park with high hopes, but Thierry Jarnet was already starting to get to work on the turn for home. While Subotica kept on gamely, he had no reply as Pat Valenzuela manoeuvred Fraise up the inside to claim a narrow verdict, with Subotica only fifth.
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