The race of the century: how another mare trying to 'do an Enable' was dethroned

Few horses who possess the raw ability of Enable share her brick-built attitude and relentless consistency, otherwise the world would be over-stuffed with greatness. Her record of 13 wins from 16 races scarcely does justice to her brilliance, but her two King Georges burn like a beacon and a third would confirm her as one of the great racemares of any generation.

Where Enable has been a paragon of reliability, however, her most recent precursor in bidding for a third win in the Ascot showpiece ended her career with 33 defeats in 48 races over five seasons.

When Dahlia was good, she was very, very good – as a pair of King Georges, along with two Benson and Hedges Gold Cups and a clutch of top-level victories both on home turf in France and across the Atlantic, proved beyond all doubt – but when she was bad she was disappointingly mediocre.