Khalid Abdullah's latest turf icon attempts to give Arc veteran win number seven
![Khalid Abdullah: has won the Arc on six occasions](/_next/image/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com%2Fprod-media-racingpost%2Fprod%2Fimages%2F169_1008%2F5c2ec4f5329d-65041.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
There are many people who have owned great horses but few who can say that true icons of the turf have raced in their silks.
Khalid Abdullah has owned very many great horses but, more remarkably, he has owned three true icons. The third of those three icons is now on the precipice of something incredible.
Abdullah's name has sat alongside those of Dancing Brave, Frankel and Enable. Even to him that must feel surreal. Yet more remarkable is the fact only six years separated the births of Frankel – widely regarded as the greatest of all racehorses – and fellow homebred Enable.
Abdullah's long-time racing manager Teddy Grimthorpe said: "If we could find out what that particular secret was we would try to repeat it! It really is astonishing.
"Every owner-breeder comes into the sport hoping to have one of what I call these impossible horses and they absolutely must be enjoyed. Prince Khalid has certainly got tremendous enjoyment from them and so has the wider racing world."
The Arc has more regularly delivered enjoyment to Abdullah than to any other owner. The octogenarian has notched a record six wins in the sport's ultimate prize stretching back to 1985 when Rainbow Quest finished second past the post but was awarded victory in the stewards' room. Dancing Brave struck 12 months later, followed eventually by Rail Link, Workforce, Enable and Enable. Now the golden girl is back for more.
![Team Enable: Gosden (left), Dettori (right) and Lord Grimthorpe, racing manager to owner Khalid Abdullah](/_next/image/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com%2Fprod-media-racingpost%2Fprod%2Fimages%2F169_1008%2F1b3af8c26e31-68288.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
"The whole reason for keeping Enable in training was to try to attempt something that has never been done before," said Grimthorpe.
"Like any owner would be, Prince Khalid is feeling a mixture of great emotion, anticipation, expectation and, I suppose, trepidation. The lead-up to any big race, particularly one as potentially momentous as this one, concentrates the mind – and plays on it as well.
"For Prince Khalid and everyone who works at Juddmonte this means so much because Enable is a fourth-generation Juddmonte-bred mare. So many people have been involved in the development of her family. That means there is a huge sense of involvement in this horse. For that reason there will be quite a Juddmonte armada travelling across to France to support her."
The support will extend far beyond Juddmonte, but whether there will be one last chance to support Enable at the Breeders' Cup is unlikely to be known until next week at the earliest.
Grimthorpe adds: "Prince Khalid will decide after the Arc, although not immediately after, and it will be entirely up to him. I wouldn't expect a decision to be made on the day, though."
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