Magical is a 4-year-old filly, Enable a 5-year-old mare, and in both the Breeders’ Cup Turf last fall and the Eclipse Stakes this summer, Magical had come within three-quarters of a length of Enable, who can properly be called the best horse in the world.
A year younger and still improving, Magical, you might think, actually had a chance to beat Enable this season. But the gap between the two is growing wider, not closer.
Japan, third in the English Derby in June, won the biggest race of his career in Wednesday’s Group 1 Juddmonte International Stakes at York Racecourse in England, earning a fees-paid berth to the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita on Nov. 2.
Japan (5-1) prevailed by a head over 11-10 favorite Crystal Ocean after the pair ran together for the final 300 yards of the race at 1 5/16 miles on turf. The race was so close the margin seemed more like a long nose than a head.
Sometimes a race intended mainly as a bridge to another more important race can turn trickier than expected. But for the great Enable, even a potential trap like the Yorkshire Oaks in England might not prove especially tricky.
Enable’s goal is now and has been all year the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp in October. The Arc was in fact the primary reason for her returning to training this season at age 5. Enable won it as a 3-year-old in 2017, won it again last fall, and her campaign has revolved around an attempt to become the first three-time Arc winner.
Only the brilliant mare Enable has kept Crystal Ocean from an undefeated season in England this year.
Enable and Crystal Ocean finished a neck apart in the Group 1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes on July 27 at Ascot in arguably the most exciting flat race this year in England.
This week, they will race on consecutive days at York Racecourse in northern England. Crystal Ocean will be a strong favorite in Wednesday’s Group 1 Juddmonte International Stakes, while Enable will be an odds-on favorite in Thursday’s Group 1 Yorkshire Oaks for fillies and mares.
Earthlight remained unbeaten in four starts, and earned a fees-paid berth to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Santa Anita on Nov. 1, with a neck victory in Sunday’s Group 1 Prix Morny for 2-year-olds at six furlongs on turf at Deauville, France.
Ridden by Mickael Barzalona for trainer Andre Fabre, Earthlight (12-5) edged Raffle Prize, the 9-5 favorite who won the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot in England in June.
Sunday’s Group 1 Prix Morny for 2-year-olds at six furlongs on turf at Deauville, France, will be the first-ever meeting between the colts A’Ali and Earthlight who approach the race in outstanding form after major stakes wins on the same course in the last month.
Earthlight, unbeaten in three starts, has won twice at Deauville, including the Group 3 Prix de Cabourg at six furlongs on July 28 in his group stakes debut. Trained by Andre Fabre for Godolphin Racing, Earthlight has been favored in all of his starts.
Romanised won his first Group 1 in nearly 15 months in Sunday’s $1.12 million Prix Jacques le Marois at a mile at Deauville, France, a victory that may lead to a start in the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Santa Anita on Nov. 2.
Ridden by Billy Lee for trainer Ken Condon, Romanised (7-2) closed from fifth in a field of eight to win the one-mile turf race on a straightaway by 1 1/4 lengths over the 3-year-old Shaman, who was second in the French 2000 Guineas at Longchamp Racecourse in May.
Watch Me, the 20-1 surprise winner of the Group 1 Coronation Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Royal Ascot in June, will face older males for the first time in Sunday’s Group 1 Prix Jacques le Marois at a mile at Deauville, France.
Watch Me is expected to be favored in a field of eight. The winner receives a fees-paid berth to the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Santa Anita on Nov. 2. Last year, the 3-year-old filly Alpha Centauri won the Prix Jacques le Marois as an odds-on favorite.
Siskin repelled a sustained challenge from Monarch of Egypt to win Friday’s Group 1 Phoenix Stakes for 2-year-olds at the Curragh in Ireland and remain undefeated after four starts.
Ridden by Colin Keane for trainer Ger Lyons, Siskin closed from fourth in a field of five to take the lead in the final furlong. Siskin, the odds-on choice at 10-11, and Monarch of Egypt (3-2) were side by side in deep stretch before Siskin prevailed by three-quarters of a length.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Saudi Arabia will host a $20 million race in February next year on the dirt course at King Abdul Aziz racetrack in Riyadh, the country’s racing authority and members of the ruling family announced on Wednesday, instantly making the country a player on the international racing stage with the promise of the richest purse in the world.
