Magical and Enable to meet again in Yorkshire Oaks

Magical wins the Qipco British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes at Ascot in October. Pic Steven Cargill / Racingfotos.com

Enable and Magical look set to clash for the fourth time after Aidan O’Brien supplemented the latter for the Darley Yorkshire Oaks on Thursday.

Seven fillies remain in contention for the mile-and-a-half contest, with the prospect of taking on nine-time Group 1 winner Enable not appealing to many, but not putting off Ballydoyle.

John Gosden has left his superstar in the Juddmonte International on Wednesday, but nominated the Yorkshire Oaks as his preferred route towards Enable’s attempt for an unprecedented third Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe success.

She was winning for the eleventh successive time when winning the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes at Ascot last month.

There is little between Enable and Magical on form but Enable has come out on top all three times they have met, although the last twice, in the Breeders’ Cup Turf and the Coral-Eclipse, O’Brien’s filly has got within three-quarters of a length.

Gosden holds a strong hand with Investec Oaks winner Anapurna and Lah Ti Dar also in contention. O’Brien has left in South Sea Pearl.

Sir Michael Stoute decided to take Sun Maiden out of the Prix Jean Romanet this weekend with the prospect of a race closer to home, while Ralph Beckett’s Manuela De Vega, fourth in the Oaks, completes the list.