Superstar mare Enable is set to get her five year old campaign started at Royal Ascot after plans to race in the Coronation Cup at the Epsom Derby meeting have been shelved.
The dual Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe was a general 4/5 favourite to start her season off at Epsom in the Group 1 contest on May 31st but John Gosden has opted to go down a different route and the Royal meeting is now high on her agenda.
This has surprised many in the industry with the daughter of Nathaniel winning round the tricky Tattenham corner back in 2017 in the Epsom Oaks and it looked the perfect spot for her to make her seasonal reappearance.
(Credit Racing Post) Her trainer said: "She is in good order. We're pointing right now to Royal Ascot for either the Prince of Wales's Stakes or the Hardwicke.
"We're aiming towards the first weekend of October [the Arc], so we certainly didn't want to be bringing her out very early in the year. We're looking at Ascot and then the King George."
Her owners racing manager Teddy Grimthorpe has suggested that the Group 1 that makes the most appeal at the Royal meeting is the Prince of Wales's Stakes over 1mile 2f.
He explained: "In principle she will run in the Prince of Wales's but we will also be looking at the Hardwicke, so we are definitely not committing yet to one race over the other."
The Group 2 Hardwicke is another option over 2 furlongs further but it does look like the Gosden team will be thriving for more Group 1 glory with the super-mare.
Enable over her illustrious career has only ever raced at Ascot once and she will be looking to maintain her 100 percent record this term after landing the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes two seasons ago.
If the five year old does go down this route it could set up the long awaited rematch between her and Sea Of Class who finished a narrow second in the Arc last year at Paris Longchamp.
The William Haggas trained four year old is the 7/2 favourite to take the contest with Enable close in behind at 4/1.
The Group 1 contest is one of the features on the second day of Royal Ascot in June and if both horses are entered into the contest it will be one of the races of the entire meeting.