Arc ace Olivier Peslier confident Enable can make history on Sunday

Four-time winner Olivier Peslier believes only a wide draw, and bad luck in running that can ensue, will stop Enable making history on Sunday as the first horse to win the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe three times in succession.

Peslier, the doyen of the French weighing room, won Arcs on Helissio in 1996, Peintre Celebre in 1997 and Sagamix in 1998, before adding a fourth victory on Solemia in 2012.

Only Enable's partner Frankie Dettori, who already has six Arcs to his name, has ridden more winners of the race among those who are currently licensed, and Peslier is not without hope of a fifth success on Sunday on the much improved four-year-old French King.

But Peslier, 46, who nowadays commutes to the Paris tracks from Bayonne, near Biarritz, and was racing at Toulouse on Monday, is a huge admirer of the Khalid Abdullah-owned Enable.

Assessing the chance of a hat-trick, he said: "It's never been done before, of course, but if I can't win the race myself I'm hoping that Enable does. It would be historic for the race itself, and great for the filly, for Frankie, and also for the Prince.

"Khalid Abdullah is one of the few owners, like the Wertheimers with Goldikova, who keeps his good horses for racing instead of finishing them once they win a big race and leave us to wonder what they might have achieved. It's what the fans want, and there will be many of them at Longchamp to see Enable."

Asked what might stand in Enable's way, Peslier was inclined to point to the circumstances which might conspire against her, such as the draw and luck in running, rather than the opposition.

PESLIER'S ARC WINNERS

1996 Helissio makes all and quickens away to beat Pilsudski by five lengths

1997 Peintre Celebre shows an electrifying turn of foot from off the pace. Pilsudski is once again a five-length second

1998 Sagamix gets up close home to beat Leggera in a thriller

2012 Solemia comes back to catch an idling Orfevre to deny Japan their first Arc in a dramatic finish

He said: "A wide draw would not be helpful, as it's difficult to come from the back at Longchamp, especially on good ground like we had on Trials Day, when the winners were all coming from inside draws, but Enable has the power to go anywhere, and otherwise I see no problem.

"She is a lovely filly, and she's very tough. She won last year despite having had a little setback, and she has looked even better this year. She is very strong, and no matter how hard a race she has, she always comes back and never seems tired. She is very impressive in every way."

While Peslier believes French King can be competitive, he fears Enable will have too much class, and if that is the case he will be very happy to see Dettori win again, since the Italian is one of his oldest weighing room friends. However, while Dettori is renowned for his sang froid, Peslier believes this time it will be different, even if the outcome is the same.

He said: "Frankie will feel the pressure for once on Sunday, because there's more at stake than ever before. Even so, I think that after the race Longchamp will be erecting a statue of Enable to stand alongside the one of Gladiateur."

French King is unbeaten this year but remains under the radar, having gained his first win in Qatar in February and has since won three times in Germany, last time beating Communique in the Group 1 Grosser Preis von Berlin at the Hoppegarten.

Enable: 4-5 to win a third ArcCredit: Edward Whitaker

Peslier said: "French King is a lovely horse and a very tough one too. He fights well and he can win on any sort of ground. His form is good and I think he can be very competitive, but as for winning an Arc, I'm not sure."

French King is available across the board at 50-1 for Sunday's race, in which Enable is no bigger than 4-5 after an entry of more than 80 was reduced to 16 at Monday's first forfeit stage.

There is an opportunity to make supplementary entries on Wednesday, and Jean-Claude Rouget, whose Prix du Jockey Club winner Sottsass is vying with Japan for second favouritism, revealed at Chantilly on Monday that he planned to add Grand Prix de Deauville runner-up Soft Light.

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