Enable confirmed as intended runner in King George

John Gosden's filly has looked exceptional this season and is reported to be "raring to go" with Frankie Dettorri feeling the full force of her well-being on the gallops.

The Italian was dumped on the floor having turned up to partner her in Newmarket on Tuesday morning.

Thankfully, having just returned from injury, Dettori managed to land on his feet.

"I rode Enable yesterday morning and believe it or not she dumped me on the floor. I was like, 'thanks very much!'. Luckily, I fell standing up but she still dumped me. She is just full of herself right now and raring to go," he said.

Dettori is still not riding with his usual regularity after a shoulder injury which forced him to miss Royal Ascot, but since his comeback he has won the Irish Oaks on Enable and a Group Three at Newbury on Saturday aboard Magical Memory.

Adding to his pain is the fact that Enable carries 8st 7lb, very close to Dettori's minimum weight.

"It's been a tough rehabilitation but I'm delighted to report I'm feeling good and getting stronger every day. I'm glad to say the physio is all done but I'm still training myself in the gym and I can't wait for this weekend," Dettori said in his Ladbrokes blog.

"I got allotted 8st 7lb in the King George which is my bare minimum, so I need to keep my weight down. My diet is all boring stuff at the moment - white fish, vegetables and water. It's grim!

"She was the reason I came back from injury so early. She really is special. I pushed myself so I could ride her in Ireland and it was worth it.

"The King George is a tough race but I'm really excited. She's getting a big weight allowance so she's entitled to be at the head of the market."

Discussing the opposition, Dettori continued: "Let's take nothing away from the reigning champion Highland Reel and the Coral-Eclipse winner, Ulysses.

"Highland Reel is obviously the biggest danger to our chances. He ran very well at Ascot before and we know he stays. He's just got a great CV.

"I suspect the ground will be on the right side of good. Her pedigree suggests the ground shouldn't be any issue.

"I'd never tried her on soft ground until this morning. It was only a small breeze but she seemed to handle it. We shall find out on Saturday."

Enable was only given the green light on Wednesday morning after consultation between John Gosden and owner Khalid Abdullah.

She heads Sky Bet's ante-post market for the race at 11/8, with Highland Reel eased out to 7/2 and Jack Hobbs now a 5/1 chance after steady support.

The going at Ascot remains 'Good to Soft' with 3-5mm of showers forecast today after a dry night. Further rain is now forecast to reach the track on Friday and Saturday.

One horse that seems unlikely to line up against the Classic heroine is Permian (20/1). Mark Johnston's colt struggled in the Derby but bounced back to win at Royal Ascot before producing a gutsy performance in the Group One Grand Prix de Paris.

"I’d make it odds-against that he runs in the King George," Charlie Johnston told www.sportinglife.com. 

"We’ve got four options for him on the table at the moment, the two in the UK being the King George and the Juddmonte International and the Secretariat in America and a Group One in Germany in mid-August.

“You would expect the two foreign options are going to be easier than the two at home. If the photo in France last time had gone our way and we had that Group One in the bag then we might’ve started rolling the dice at races like the King George or the Juddmonte.

“But, it didn’t, so the priority in the short term has to be to try and get that Group One under his name and I expect the best chance of doing that would be going abroad. Everything is in place for him going to America, but we won’t make a decision on that until we have to.”

Gerald Mosse has come in for the ride on Argentinian star Sixties Song (66/1).

A four-year-old son of Sixties Icon, he is the leading performer in his homeland but faces an entirely different test this weekend.

"It looks a very competitive race but he is the top horse in Argentina," said Mosse.

"I'm excited to ride in the King George, it's a great race to be a part of."

Mosse's agent Shippy Ellis added: "We were looking at riding at Newmaket but Gerald looked at the videos (of Sixties Song) and was keen to ride him.

"He does have some form on soft ground but he'd prefer it quicker, I think.

"It's a proper King George, make no mistake, and the connections deserve credit for coming and having a go.

"He's a big price but I think he'll outrun it."