Sea Of Class and Enable delivered a race that will live long in the memory

Sadly, a rematch between Enable and Sea Of Class will now never happen. But the sole meeting the pair had last October at Longchamp will be remembered as one of the greatest Flat races in recent history.

Coming into the Arc, the race revolved around defending champion Enable, who had not returned to action until a month earlier but looked as good as ever and was favourite to retain her crown.

Sea Of Class had risen to the top of the three-year-old fillies' division with a string of victories, including the Irish Oaks and most recently the Yorkshire Oaks.

With her age and weight allowance, the daughter of Sea The Stars appeared a live contender, but a wide draw in stall 15 of 19 looked to have compromised her chances.

The early stages

When the gates opened James Doyle was at pains to hang back and get Sea Of Class over to the rail instead of being trapped on the outside of the field.

By contrast, Frankie Dettori, who had a much better berth in stall six with Enable, was able to get out quickly and sit just behind the leaders in fourth.

Doyle was left as a hostage to fortune, sitting in a share of last place while the field bowled along. Coming out of the final turn, commentator Richard Hoiles asked: "Sea Of Class is a long, long way back, two from the back but where will he [Doyle] go?"

Down the straight

The answer to Hoiles' question was forward and rapidly. Doyle started to weave a path through tiring rivals, initially hugging the inside to make up places on those who could not turn the corner as sharply and as a consequence drifted wide.

Enable (left): leads with a furlong to run on the way to a narrow second Arc win over Sea Of Class (yellow silks)Credit: Edward Whitaker

With two furlongs to go Dettori was making his move, getting to the front on Enable. Doyle was still making up ground, manoeuvring around outsider Tiberian to get a clear passage for home and now the chase was on.

The finish

Enable and Dettori had set sail, and the pair grabbed a lead of around two lengths or so with a furlong left to run. By now Sea Of Class was devouring the ground, making up yards hand over fist but seemingly running out of time.

Yet as the finishing line approached, it looked like Enable was going to be caught. Sea Of Class was attacking with all her might, head down and at full tilt.

But the winning post intervened, with the verdict going to Enable by a short neck, a margin that would have diminished even further had the race been one yard further.

Victory may have gone to Enable, but it took two wonderful fillies to make a riproaring spectacle at Longchamp.

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