Superstar Enable has officially been retired from her outstanding racing career aged six and will now head to the breeding paddocks.
Connections of the daughter of Nathaniel decided against one more race and instead announced her retirement with immediate effect today (12 October).
The Khalid Abdullah-owned mare won 11 Group One races, becoming one of the sport’s most successful horses and a favourite among racing fans. Her highlights include back-to-back wins in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and a record three wins in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot.
This month, she bid to claim a historic third success in the Arc but she finished sixth, on ground that did not suit her.
Her career spanned an impressive five seasons, with 15 wins from 19 starts and an eye-watering £10.7m in earnings – a record amount for a European-trained horse. The popular John Gosden-trained mare was partnered by Frankie Dettori for all bar two of her races.
To date, she is the most successful horse in Arc history, with two wins and a second, and has won five Oaks (Epsom, Irish, Yorkshire twice and the Cheshire). She will now join the broodmare band at Khalid Abdullah’s Juddmonte Farms.
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LOUISVILLE, KY - NOVEMBER 03: Lanfranco Dettori celebrates in the winner's circle after riding Enable to victory in the Longines Breeders' Cup Turf on the second day of the Breeders' Cup at Churchill Downs on November 3, 2018 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Bobby Ellis/Getty Images)
“After consulting John Gosden and his racing manager Teddy Grimthorpe, Prince Khalid has decided that Enable will be retired from racing and will now join the Juddmonte broodmare band to be covered by Kingman in 2021,” said Juddmonte chief executive Douglas Erskine Crum.
Teddy Grimthorpe added: “She has brought so much joy to everyone who has been involved with her. Her elegance and forceful personality have been nurtured by John and his team at Clarehaven – especially by Imran, who has looked after her with such calm and devotion.
“In her, Frankie found a willing partner to execute her ability on the racecourse. Her CV withstands the closest of inspections, very few can match what she has given to racing.”
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