Enable romps to victory in Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Chantilly

The John Gosden-trained filly was two and a half lengths clear of Cloth Of Stars back in second at the line, while old rival Ulysses was third and Order Of St George, third behind stablemate Found last year and one of five horses saddled by Aidan O’Brien this time out, came fourth.

Success for Enable also earned jockey Frankie Dettori a staggering 2.85m euros (£2.5m) in prize money and a record fifth victory and the tag of the event’s most successful jockey having also won it in 1995, 2001, 2002 and 2015.

The win in Europe’s premier middle-distance contest caps off a memorable season for Enable in which she picked up five consecutive victories at top level – in the Epsom Oaks, the Irish Oaks, the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, and the Yorkshire Oaks.

Having won her previous four starts, all in Group 1 company, by an aggregate of 20 lengths, Enable was bidding to become the first three-year-old filly trained in Britain or Ireland to land the prize. However questions had been asked whether her long campaign would eventually catch up with her. Those doubts were quickly eliminated.

Sent off as the predictable race favourite, Dettori had matters under control from the moment Enable made a strong start from stall two, and she could be seen travelling powerfully as the field prepared to swing for home. Having had her well positioned behind Aidan O’Brien’s pair of Idaho and Order Of St George, Enable simply pulled away when prompted by her rider inside the final two furlongs and the race was over as a contest.

Cloth of Stars, ridden by jockey Mickael Barzalona and trained by Andre Fabre, came in second of the 18 runners, a good two and a half lengths back, whilst third-favourite Ulysses, trained by Sir Michael Stoute and ridden by Jim Crowley, came third a further length and a half adrift.

Gosden, who also won with Golden Horn two years ago, 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. Maybe it would be wonderful to go to the opening of the new Longchamp and try to do it again.”