Frankie Dettori and Enable storm to Arc de Triomphe victory

Frankie Dettori celebrates after riding Enable to Arc victory. Picture: Getty.

John Gosden’s brilliant filly lined up as the hot favourite for Europe’s premier middle-distance contest after four consecutive victories at the top-level in the Epsom Oaks, the Irish Oaks, the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes and the Yorkshire Oaks.

The three-year-old made a fast start from stall two and Frankie Dettori always had her well positioned in behind Aidan O’Brien’s pair of Idaho and Order Of St George.

The popular Italian gave Enable her head racing inside the final two furlongs and she quickly stamped her class, quickening clear in stunning fashion to seal a dominant success.

Dettori, winning the Arc for an unprecedented fifth time, said: “I was very confident all week... she is a tremendous  filly.

“I said to John last week she is the best she has ever been. To keep this filly at 100 per cent all year is fantastic.

“I had position ‘A’, I knew I had no weight and she stays, so I kicked and she gave me four lengths and the race was over.

“She’s amazing and is an absolute freak. I love her. John is a genius.”

What made the performance all the more staggering was how keen Enable was for much of the mile-and-a-half journey. Dettori had his mount in the perfect place throughout, but she refused to settle.

However, the daughter of Nathaniel still had more than enough in the tank to leave her toiling rivals trailing in her wake in the straight.

It was a second Arc success for Gosden following the  victory of Golden Horn two years ago. The Clarehaven handler ruled out another run this year in the Breeders’ Cup, however he does have high hopes Enable will stay in training as a four-year-old. He said: “She’s very special and she was well positioned by Frankie in order to show her sheer class and brilliance.

“It’s all about the filly and the owner-breeder Prince Khalid [Abdullah]. He bred the mother and for his farm to produce something like this is exciting for us all.

“I think it would be wrong to run her again this year. I think to go to the Breeders’ Cup would be wrong, too hard on the filly. If she’s in great form we should consider next year. She has only raced for ten months of her life.

“She had one little run last November, but really she’s only had one season of racing. There would be every reason to keep her in training next year as a four-year-old,  particularly with the new Longchamp opening.

“That would be exciting – to try to win the Arc on two  different tracks.”

Cloth Of Stars filled the runner-up spot, two-and-a-half lengths away, with Sir Michael Stoute’s Coral-Eclipse and  Juddmonte International hero Ulysses another length and a quarter back in third.