Who will come out on top between Enable and Crystal Ocean at Kempton?

Preview for September Stakes on Saturday

Enable will make her long-awaited return from a near year-long layoff at Kempton this weekend. John Gosden’s fancy is pencilled in to tackle the September Stakes on Saturday.

It had looked a relatively straightforward assignment for the filly until Tuesday. But Crystal Ocean’s inclusion has opened the race right up for fans and punters alike.

The Coral News Team has taken a look at the two main contenders below.

Enable’s return

It’s been a long road back for Enable. Gosden’s stable star hasn’t been since on a racetrack since recording an impressive triumph in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe last October. That was the Nathaniel filly’s fourth successive win at elite level after victories in the Irish Oaks, Yorkshire Oaks and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

There’s no doubting her quality. And the all-weather surface won’t provide a problem. But it’s whether the five-time Group 1 winner can hit the ground running against such an elite challenger after such a lengthy layoff.

Nobody quite knows how well tuned Enable will be at Kempton without the benefit of a racecourse gallop, even if her trainer remains confident. Her performance as the odds-on favourite could go a long way to dictating her odds for this year’s Arc at ParisLongchamp in October.

Crystal Ocean’s challenge

Crystal Ocean probably doesn’t match Enable on peak form. Sir Michael Stoute’s charge has yet to even triumph at Group 1 level. But he’s in with a chance by virtue of the fact his main rival is effectively handicapped by her lack of action.