Patient approach for top filly Enable in Sandown’s Eclipse

Champion trainer John Gosden has not rushed his star five-year-old – the mount of Frankie Dettori – back into action this term since her stellar autumn last year when she won a second Arc before adding Breeders’ Cup Turf success on her final star of 2018.

Connections have made no secret of their desire to challenge for a record third Arc win in October with the 2017 Yorkshire Oaks heroine – one of the modern day racing greats.

And while that is the ultimate aim, Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager to owner Khalid Abdullah, insists that is not the reason for her belated return.

“It wasn’t the fact that the Arc is her big target why we missed Ascot, it was more the fact we’ve had to wait for her to tell us that she was ready to run,” said Grimthorpe who is also chairman of York Racecourse.

“Certainly her last few bits of work have said that. She beat Crystal Ocean first time out after a long break last year. It’s like everything, she’s got a campaign in front of her and it’s a question of balance.

“All being well, I’m sure John and Prince Khalid will be looking at the King George next.”

However Enable will have to overcome unsuitably quick ground, and a drop back in trip to 10 furlongs, if she is to see off Magical who she beat at the Breeders’ Cup meeting in America.

Magical has won three of her four starts this term, including the Tattersalls Gold Cup, and is one of two runners for in-form Aidan O’Brien who also saddles the outsider Hunting Horn.

O’Brien said: “She seems to be in good form. Obviously she only ran at Ascot and we haven’t done a lot with her since then, but she seems to be in good form.

“She’s run four times now this season and we’ve been very happy with each run. She ran a very good race at Ascot.

“We’ll take it one race at a time with her. It’s very possible she could have a break after this, but we’ll see how she is.”

Sir Michael Stoute is also double-handed, with Brigadier Gerard winner Regal Reality and Lockinge scorer Mustashry.

If either horse triumphs, Stoute would set a new record of seven wins after the triumphs of Opera House (1993), Ezzoud (1994), Pilsudski (1996), Medicean (2001), Notnowcato (2007) and Ulysses (2017).

Telecaster is on a retrieval mission for Hughie Morrison after disappointing in last month’s Epsom Derby on his most recent outing. He won the Dante Stakes at York on his penultimate outing and his slightly perplexed trainer is hoping for the colt to return to form under jockey Oisin Murphy who won the 2018 Eclipse in thrilling fashion on the now retired Roaring Lion.

Morrison said: “He’s a horse who has got a lot of ability and we look forward to a good run – I just hope he turns up.

“He didn’t at Epsom and there was no reason to think that he wouldn’t, other than he had not had enough time to recover from a hard race 16 days before in the Dante, as well as the fact that he was an immature horse who’d had three races in the spring. We had that doubt in our mind.

“The weight-for-age concession is helpful. I’m a huge admirer of Enable. She’s a fantastic mare and is fantastic for the sport. It’s great to be even considered for a race that she competes in.”