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Yesterday marked eight years to the day since the mighty Enable made his debut in the first division of the The 32Red.com Fillies Stakes in Newcastle.

The daughter of Nathaniel made a winning start in the opening race on this day in 2016 beating the subsequently decent Gallifrey by three and three quarter lengths under Robert Havlin.

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

Although she left Clarehaven Stables at the end of 2020, Enable’s reminders are not far away as the straight wooden crate yard where the fillies are housed was recently named in her honour.

Enable Yard was opened to the public for the first time during the Henry Cecil Newmarket opening weekend in September. Thady Gosden was happily handing out photos of Enable and Frankie Dettori (see below) at the open day, so she remains part of the stable’s recent history.

Additionally, her first offspring as a broodmare are in training at Clarehaven in the form of the two-year-old colt Encompass (by Kingman), who has shown promise in some easy work this year, but I am told that he was shelved for a 2025 campaign.

The race Enable won no longer exists as it now takes place during a week-long 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 she’s not in her league, if there’s one from Clarehaven that could make an impact over the next few weeks, it could be an unraced Frankel filly named Sand Gazelle.

Although out of a Juddmonte stallion and a Juddmonte mare (Desirous), Sand Gazelle is owned by the Thoroughbred Corporation, who paid 425,000 guineas for her in 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 Sand Gazelle’s debut with as much interest as if she were 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 fun episode last week that took me all around Newmarket on a freezing afternoon and actually ended with lots of Christmas cheer early in the morning.

My usual calendar choice is that of the Injured Jockeys Fund, always (or so I thought) found locally at the National Horseracing Museum on Palace Street. When I arrived this year, however, no such materials were found and the saleswoman told me they didn’t stock them, in a way that suggested this wasn’t the first time we asked him the question.

Next I went to see jockeys’ agent Dave “Shippy” Ellis, so named because he worked on merchant ships and booked rides for the likes of George Duffield, Gary Carter, Gary Bardwell and Philip Robinson in their early books . rides for French jockeys visiting Britain from his home/office in Cardigan Street, not far from the museum.

Seeing his blue car from a distance, I knew he was in it and luckily the first thing I saw when he opened the door was a large box of racing calendars with “Shippy’s Jockeys Agency” at the top . Shippy distributed them every year to trainers and owners all over the country and had taken up the custom, so I was in the right place at the right time.

While we were talking, one of his neighbors came up to the window and asked him if he knew of a blue car outside with its engine running. Shippy quickly went to the door, discovered that it was indeed his car with the engine purring and, very embarrassed, said to the neighbor: “I can’t believe it. I started it before 9 this morning to clear it of the frost and completely forgot about it. It was now 3:45 p.m.

Given that it survived for seven hours unlocked and with the keys in the ignition, Shippy reflected: “At least it shows I have honest neighbors – either that or they didn’t like a 20 car years !”

Nap in Newmarket

The Lavender Hill crowd
11:53 Newcastle, Saturday

There’s no flat racing this week, so we turn to a former flat racer to do the business for us in the form of Lavender Hill Mob, who are keen to keep the James Owen/Gredley combination on a launch in Paul Ferguson’s Jumpers To Follow. “Introduction” juvenile obstacle.

The two-time Flat winner has done well since joining Owen from Michael Bell, for whom he finished fourth at Listed level at Goodwood last summer.

Read them next:

Enable’s half-sister Zilfee digs deep to get started on her all-weather debut – just like her very famous brother

Trainer fines and police chases: there’s never a dull moment at the Newmarket gallops

Racing charities head for a winner as Newmarket’s Henry Cecil Open Weekend raises record funds

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