A defining chapter awaits the King George and its queen as history beckons

It was supposed to be a one-off.

The crown jewel of our racing summer was born in 1951 to mark the Festival of Britain, a five-month celebration of British achievement. Such was the race's success it did not just continue, it flourished.

Now in its 70th year, the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes welcomes back a most wonderful one-off, a four-legged embodiment of British achievement who stands on the edge of history.

This may yet be Enable's finest hour.

The nation's most prestigious all-aged prize boasts a roll of honour that is a tale of turf excellence. Ribot, Nijinsky, Mill Reef, Brigadier Gerard, Shergar and Dancing Brave all wrote a chapter in this glorious sporting story, but only three horses have ever claimed the glory on two occasions. In a bid to elevate herself above Dahlia and Swain, Enable, the heroine of 2017 and 2019, returns to Ascot seeking to be once, twice, three times the lady.

Against the reigning queen are two potential kings, both trained by one man and both sired by Galileo, like Enable's father, Nathaniel, a King George winner himself.

Aidan O'Brien and his Coolmore employers tried repeatedly in vain to conquer Frankel and Sea The Stars. They have tried repeatedly to defeat Enable and now do so again, armed with Japan and Sovereign but not Anthony Van Dyck following his Friday night scratching. There are two of them and only one of her, but most of what noise is made on the royal racecourse will be generated in the grande dame's favour.

Although it is an enormous shame the sport's fans will be denied access to Ascot, many of them have still to recover from what they witnessed 12 months ago. The stirring and sustained battle between Enable and Crystal Ocean had echoes of Grundy versus Bustino. Where it subsequently differed is that while neither of the 1975 duellers ever won again, Khalid Abdullah's mighty mare went to the Knavesmire one month later and landed another Yorkshire Oaks. It was her tenth top-flight triumph. The wait for an 11th has proved longer than her connections and admirers would have wished.

The narrative of the 2019 season built irresistibly towards October in Paris, where Enable sought to be anointed the first triple winner of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. On unsuitably testing ground, she was collared agonisingly close to the line by Waldgeist. "All I wanted to do was finish my day, get in the shower and punch the wall," Frankie Dettori said of that experience. It was, however, a reverse that persuaded Prince Khalid to keep his champion in training.

A third Arc would still be incredible. So would a third King George.

Losing at Sandown was not like losing at Longchamp. When second on her six-year-old reappearance in the Coral-Eclipse, Enable was said by John Gosden to be only 85 per cent ready. She will now be fitter and leaner. Sometimes, however, the best horse does not necessarily win, particularly in a tactical showdown. This will surely be such a showdown.

Photographers gather as Frankie Dettori celebrates after winning the 2019 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth StakesCredit: Alan Crowhurst (Getty Images)

Japan was behind Enable in the Arc and Eclipse, but last year's Juddmonte International winner could easily have his biggest day ahead of him. Ryan Moore remains on his back, even though Sovereign, the mount of William Buick, won last season's Irish Derby by six lengths. It seems improbable a Classic victor will be sacrificed in Japan's favour. Is it also improbable that in this now three-runner King George – the smallest ever turnout for the showpiece – O'Brien could somehow find a way to make the most of his now reduced numerical edge?

Sovereign opened up a large early lead en route to his Curragh coronation as did Serpentine at Epsom three weeks ago. If Sovereign is ridden similarly, and if his stable companion sits a few lengths off him, what does Dettori do? At what point does he go in pursuit? Alternatively, does the master of Ascot instead dictate matters from the front?

When Ballydoyle has entered a big race with a big squad, talk of team tactics, whether fair or not, has often followed.

After this year's St James's Palace Stakes, Sheikh Fahad, who sponsors the King George through Qipco, tweeted: "There's no place for team tactics in racing, such a shame to watch the St James's run like that."

Given O'Brien was alone in having more than one runner, it was obvious whose team Sheikh Fahad was talking about, while Gosden was similarly unambiguous when, in advance of last year's King George, he recalled Enable's 2018 Breeders' Cup Turf and remarked: "I stood with a senior US racing correspondent at the Breeders' Cup and he was aghast at Hunting Horn hunting us – 'harassed', as it was put the other day."

Speaking this week, Gosden said he was not forecasting there being any reasons to complain. "I don't expect to see a repeat of a Group 1 run there on the Saturday of Royal Ascot – I would have thought that we're above all that now, I really would," he said, while also finding comfort in the identities of the Ballydoyle jockeys, who when he made the comments also included Oisin Murphy. "Those horses are ridden by gentlemen who ride for me a lot, too, so I don't see anything too sinister ahead."

What we all crave is something not sinister but spectacular. Ascot's grandstands will be nearly empty, as will its pristine turf, but all around the world, lovers of racing and racehorses are hoping to savour something that has never been seen before.

For the King George and its cherished queen, a momentous moment awaits.

If you want to know more about the King George, read these:

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes: John Gosden's views on Enable's Ascot bid

Read more about the four King George runners

Find out what John Gosden has to say about Enable's recent work

How Aidan O'Brien has faced up to Sea The Stars, Frankel and Stradivarius

'She raised the roof' – how awesome Enable won the King George in 2017 and 2019

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