Ruby Walsh has paid tribute to Enable after the superstar mare was retired from racing.
The six-year-old attempted to win a historic third Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe earlier this month but was hampered by soft ground and eventually finished the showpiece event at Longchamp sixth.
Owners Juddmonte, headed by Saudi prince Khalid Abdullah, and trainer John Gosden made the decision to retire Enable after 15 wins from 19 starts – including four Oaks victories, three King Georges, two Arcs, an Eclipse and a Breeders’ Cup Turf triumph.
Speaking on the latest episode of Paddy Power’s twice-weekly From The Horse’s Mouth podcast, Ruby praised Enable’s achievements and recalled her battling win over Magical at Churchill Downs in 2018.
Ruby: Enable was an incredible filly. Obviously she went out with something of a lacklustre performance behind Sottsass in the Arc, and there was nothing new while winning the September Stakes at Kempton. She won the King George, which was pretty much a solo effort to beat Sovereign and then she was second to Ghaiyyath in the Eclipse this season.
But she was an incredible filly and I loved that day at Churchill Downs when she won the Breeders’ Cup Turf. The tactics of that race, with Hunting Horn down the outside trying to ruffle her and Magical with the perfect sit inside her…
Frankie Dettori had to make the decision around the bottom turn – would he go inside Hunting Horn and risk having the door closed? When he switched to the outside, Ryan Moore got the perfect split through on his stable companion’s inside and Enable had to battle on the outside to beat Magical.
There were so many great days from her. She was great filly for the sport. She earned over £10.5million in prize money.
You’d love to have one like her, wouldn’t you?
Enable is now set to embark on a career as a broodmare and will be covered by Banstead Manor Stud star Kingman next season.
The stallion has already seen his progeny experience success this season with Palace Pier and Persian King landing Group 1 wins.
Much is expected of Kingman’s partnership with Enable, and Ruby does not believe the latter’s elongated racing career will hamper her breeding.
Enable – winner of 11 Group 1 races and more than £10 million in prize money – has been retired from racing. She joins the Juddmonte broodmare band and will visit KINGMAN in 2021.
“She has brought so much joy to everyone who has been involved with her” – https://t.co/uAmlEWgDdD pic.twitter.com/yV74AqHTj3
— Juddmonte (@JuddmonteFarms) October 12, 2020
Ruby: It will be interesting to see what she can produce going forward.
Some will argue that mares who race as long as her don’t have as big a chance of producing good stock but she’s only run 19 times.
She hasn’t had that hard a life!
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