Looking back on the day Newmarket legend Enable announced herself to the world

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Yesterday marked eight years to the day since the mighty Enable made her debut in division one of the 32Red.com Maiden Fillies’ Stakes at Newcastle.

The daughter of Nathaniel got off to a winning start in the opening race that day in 2016 when blitzing the subsequently decent Gallifrey by three and three-quarter lengths under Robert Havlin.

The Juddmonte-owned filly went on to become one of the most important horses during my time in Newmarket and by the end of her stellar career she had won 11 Group 1 races, including two victories in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

Although she left Clarehaven Stables at the end of 2020, reminders of Enable are not far away as the right yard of wooden boxes where the fillies are housed has recently been named after her.

Enable Yard was open for inspection by the public for the first time at the Henry Cecil Newmarket Open weekend in September. Thady Gosden was happily giving out pictures of Enable and Frankie Dettori (see below) at the open day so she is still a big part of the recent history of the stable.

Also, her first offspring as a broodmare is in training at Clarehaven in the shape of the two-year-old colt Encompass (by Kingman), who has shown promise in some easy work this year but I’m told has been put by for a 2025 campaign.

The race won by Enable is no more as it now falls during a week’s break from Flat racing, but there will be other opportunities for an aspiring star to surface between now and the end of the year.

Although not in her league, if there is one from Clarehaven who could make an impact over the next few weeks it could be an unraced Frankel filly named Sand Gazelle.

Although by a Juddmonte stallion and out of a Juddmonte mare (Desirous), Sand Gazelle is owned by the Thoroughbred Corporation, who paid 425,000 guineas for her at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Sales last year.

Desirous was sold a few years ago by Juddmonte but I’m sure the Banstead Manor operation will be watching the debut of Sand Gazelle with just as much interest as if she was sporting the famous pink and green silks.

Calendar quest

It was in search of a 2025 racing calendar for the wall that I had a funny episode last week that took me all around Newmarket on a frosty afternoon and actually ended up with plenty of early Christmas cheer.

My usual calendar choice is that of the Injured Jockeys Fund, always (or so I thought) found locally at the National Horseracing Museum in Palace Street. Upon arrival this year, however, no such material was to be found and I was told by the shop assistant that they weren’t stocking them, in a manner that suggested this wasn’t the first time she had been asked the question.

On I went to see the jockeys’ agent Dave ‘Shippy’ Ellis, so named as he used to work on merchant ships and who booked rides for the likes of George Duffield, Gary Carter, Gary Bardwell and Philip Robinson in their prime and still books rides for French jockeys visiting Britain from his house/office in Cardigan Street, not far away from the museum.

Seeing his blue car from afar, I knew he was in and happily the first thing I saw as he opened the door was a big box of racing calendars with ‘Shippy’s Jockeys Agency’ across the top. Shippy used to give these out every year to trainers and owners right across the country and had restarted the custom so I was in the right place at the right time.

As we were talking, one of his neighbours came to the window and asked if he knew a blue car outside that had the engine running. Shippy quickly made for the door, discovered it was indeed his car that had the engine purring and, with much embarrassment, said to the neighbour: “I can’t believe it. I started it up before 9am this morning to get the frost off it and totally forgot about it.” The time now was 3.45pm.

Given it had survived for seven hours unlocked and with the keys in the ignition, Shippy reflected: “At least it shows I have honest neighbours - either that or they didn’t fancy a 20-year-old car!”

Newmarket nap

Lavender Hill Mob
11.53 Newcastle, Saturday

There’s no Flat racing this week so we look to an ex-Flat racer to do the business for us in the shape of Lavender Hill Mob, who is fancied to keep the James Owen/Gredley combination on a roll in the Paul Ferguson's Jumpers To Follow 'Introductory' Juvenile Hurdle.

The dual Flat winner has schooled nicely since joining Owen from Michael Bell, for whom he finished fourth at Listed level at Goodwood last summer. 

Lavender Hill Mob11:53 Newcastle

View Racecard

Jky: Nico de Boinville Tnr: James Owen

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Enable's half-sister Zilfee digs deep to get off the mark on all-weather debut - just like her uber famous sibling 

Trainer fines and police chases - there's never a dull moment on the Newmarket gallops 

Racing charities on to a winner as Newmarket's Henry Cecil Open Weekend raises record funds 

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