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All roads lead to Ascot after Epsom option removed

Enable is set to make her eagerly-anticipated return to action at Royal Ascot after being scratched from the Investec Coronation Cup at Epsom.

Despite enduring a troubled preparation, John Gosden’s brilliant mare successfully defended her crown in an epic renewal of the the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe last October – becoming the eighth dual winner of Europe’s premier middle-distance prize.

The following month she became the first horse to win the Paris highlight and at the Breeders’ Cup in the same year and owner-breeder Khalid Abdullah sportingly confirmed she would stay in training as a five-year-old, with the aim of becoming the first horse to win a third Arc.

The Coronation Cup at Epsom, where she claimed the first of her seven Group One victories to date in the 2017 Investec Oaks, has long been mooted as a potential comeback target.

However, she was taken out of the May 31 contest at the latest acceptance stage and Teddy Grimthorpe, Abdullah’s racing manager, later confirmed she will either run in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes or the Hardwicke Stakes at next month’s Royal meeting.

Grimthorpe said: “It’s always been an either/or. John is pleased with her and she has been doing nice bits (of work), nothing serious, but strong canters. She’s in great nick and is enthusiastic.

“We’ve always said the Arc is the main target. These races are very important, so it’s a question of picking the right one and getting the right route back to Longchamp.

“She could go for either the Prince of Wales’s or the Hardwicke and I think the ground could possibly dictate. They are two very nice options to have.”