Gosden's assistant Barry O'Dowd among the many on Arc countdown at Clarehaven

Enable was left off the Gosden worklist on Saturday morning, but her Arc supporters should not be worried as connections felt she was plenty fit enough after her workout on the Rowley Mile three days previously.
Instead, the ten-time Group 1 winner was watched by trainer John Gosden and Khalid Abdullah's racing manager Teddy Grimthorpe going through her usual routine of two canters on the Warren Hill Mactrack facility at first lot.
Whilst Gosden and co. stood perched near the top of the four-and-a-half-furlong canter, his longtime assistant Barry O'Dowd surveyed the action from the two-furlong pole where the history chasing filly breezed past under her lad Imran Shawani.
O'Dowd, a finalist in the Godolphin Stud and Stable Staff Awards last year, has been with the Gosden yard for nearly 20 years and likes what he is seeing. He said: "Enable is in some order just now. So much so that I wish the Arc was this weekend instead of next."
As the five-year-old swept past, O'Dowd added: "I'm hoping we've got her as well as we had her last year. Obviously this year we've had a smoother run with her into the race. She seems in great form and we managed to get her on grass last Wednesday. If she gets there in the same shape I would be very confident that she will pull off the treble. As confident as you can be in racing that is."

An Irishman from Thurles in County Tipperary, O'Dowd would be the first to know if there was anything awry with the star mare. He revealed: "Enable's box is my first port of call when I arrive in the yard every morning at 5.15am. The first thing I do is feel her legs. She loves the attention, but you're going in there hoping everything feels tight and cold. When I've given her the once over I’ll do the others starting with Stradivarius. She's the top of the pecking order alright and she knows it!"
O'Dowd, who has been Gosden's understudy since 2005, continued: "Obviously, we've been very lucky to have some great horses through our hands in that time such as Raven's Pass, Kingman, Taghrooda, Nathaniel, Cracksman and Golden Horn, but Enable is probably the best we've ever trained. She's just a complete athlete and it's no surprise she's improved as she has. As the boss has said many times, she just wants to go out and train and to race and win. She has a mindset of that was what she was put on this earth to do.“
He concluded: "To win what she has is unbelievable and to keep going to the races and keep winning shows great dedication from her. The great thing is she just wants to do it herself."
Read exclusive previews from 6pm daily on racingpost.com and the Racing Post mobile app
Published on inNews
Last updated
- How to add Racing Post as a preferred news source in Google
- Moray Smith Live: put your questions to the pro punter for a special Christmas Q&A
- It's your LAST CHANCE to get 30% off Racing Post+ for a whole year - don't miss out on all our fantastic content!
- 'Absolute nonsense' to claim Haiti Couleurs was out of his depth in Betfair Chase
- Catterick: 'I loved him straight away' - hurdles debutant Indian River makes winning start for Adrian Keatley
- How to add Racing Post as a preferred news source in Google
- Moray Smith Live: put your questions to the pro punter for a special Christmas Q&A
- It's your LAST CHANCE to get 30% off Racing Post+ for a whole year - don't miss out on all our fantastic content!
- 'Absolute nonsense' to claim Haiti Couleurs was out of his depth in Betfair Chase
- Catterick: 'I loved him straight away' - hurdles debutant Indian River makes winning start for Adrian Keatley