Dettori joy as Enable powers to King George glory

Singing in the rain: Enable and er connections after winning the King George. Picture: Racingfotos.com

Frankie Dettori hailed Enable “as good as I’ve ridden” after the outstanding filly stormed to victory in the QIPCO-sponsored King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot.

The dual Oaks heroine upstaged the colts and older horses with a brilliant performance in the mile and a half showpiece.

Close up from the outset,behind pacemaker Maverick Wave,she led early in the straight and staying on powerfully to win by four and a half lengths from Ulysses, the Coral-Eclipse winner, with the brothers, Idaho and Highland Reel, third and fourth respectively.

Dettori had been on what he described as a “grim” diet all week to make the weight of 8st 7lb and his fifth victory in the race, which forms part of the QIPCO British Champions Series, had extra satisfaction after he missed Royal Ascot with a broken shoulder.

“I lost 7lb in six days, but it was worth it. She is a superstar,” Dettori said. “It means a lot to me, I missed the whole of Royal Ascot and to come back to the place I love so much, it’s great.

“She’s as good as I’ve ridden, to win the King George by four lengths – she is the real deal and I love her so much. I’ll have a big dinner tonight, that’s for sure.”

Enable, sent off at 5-4, was having her first run on a soft surface but showed all conditions come alike to her.

Gosden said: “The facts show she can do it on any ground. Frankie was bold. She breaks well and is very business like.

“It wasn’t the plan to be that close, but she was getting weight from the older horses.

“I thought Ulysses made a brave run at her and I thought Maverick Wave did a beautiful job pacemaking. All in all she’s as good a filly as I’ve ever trained – Taghrooda was brilliant to win this and she’s following Dahlia and Pawneese.

“I’ve always planned the Yorkshire Oaks, then pause, stop and think – no trials and then possibly the one in Paris (Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe).”

He added: “Frankie has worked hard, the hunger is still there which is wonderful at his age.”

Stoute said of the gallant Ulysses: “I am delighted with him. We like him on better ground, but we were beaten by a very good filly.

“He is very versatile, really. He gets a mile and a half no problem and we have to be very pleased.

“We will have to do a bit of thinking now. We can do 10 (furlongs), we can do 12 and we don’t have to worry about soft ground, although he will be better on a faster surface.

“We have choices. I will look at him and see how he takes it.”