Matt Chapman: Where Enable could race next after Arc disappointment

Matt Chapman has speculated on where Enable will race next after the superstar mare failed in her attempt to win a record-breaking third Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp on Sunday.

The John Gosden-trained charger came home sixth in an event that was run over very soft ground and marred by the absence of four top Aidan O’Brien runners.

Sottsass ended up taking the spoils ahead of In Swoop and Persian King, with it announced on Monday that the victor – now a three-time Group 1 winner – has subsequently been retired.

Speaking on the latest episode of Paddy Power’s From The Horse’s Mouth podcast, Chapman acknowledges that the same decision could be made by Enable’s connections although she holds entries in the Group 1 British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes and Champion Stakes at Ascot on October 17 while the Breeders’ Cup Turf in Kentucky next month is another option.

Recommended Reading: Ruby Walsh and Paddy Power discuss why Enable failed to challenge Sottsass in the Arc

MATT CHAPMAN: I mean the obvious one would be to go back to the Breeders’ Cup again and run in the Breeders’ Cup Turf. You would imagine they would try and send her out on a win.

But if she does that the chances are she’s going to face [Aidan O’Brien’s stable star] Love and they’ve stayed away from Love as much as they can.

It’s not as if she’s an absolute gimme to go and win there and the other thing is it’s at Keeneland and do you remember when Found beat Golden Horn? The turf track was horrible.

It was really horrible that day and would you want Enable to go out on another horrible track?

The fact that Frankie Dettori didn’t dictate the Arc on Enable gives the game away that underneath it all, they didn’t have much confidence in Enable because there was just no need not to be leading in that race.

There was no front runner, you had the chance to dictate at the slow pace on the horse that everyone thought was the best horse, where you could quicken at the top of the straight but you knew you stayed the distance – unlike Persian King who tried to quicken off the slow pace, but isn’t a stayer and eventually finishes third.

You’ve got Sottass – who’s a mile and a quarter horse ideally, and Persian King – who’s arguably a miler ideally. They’re first and third, and they’re divided by a mud lover [In Swoop] who’d probably get a mile and six and kind of stayed on just through the beaten horses.

I thought it was a terrible race tactically for Enable, suggesting that there wasn’t a lot of confidence in the camp.

That will explain why she was widely available at 11-8, and that was roughly the price she was when all the O’Brien four were still in there. It wasn’t as if she suddenly went 1-2 when the O’Brien horses came out.

Read More:

• Sprint over to all the top tips and racing previews now
• Horse Racing: How to watch racing for free with Paddy Power
• Placing bets is easier than ever with Paddy Power News’ live odds banners

THE PADDY POWER GUIDE TO RESPONSIBLE GAMBLING – EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW