Enable Versus Galileo (Battle of the Champions)

Enable versus Galileo (Battle of the Champions) Just imagine a mouthwatering racing clash between two champions of past and the present racing world, battling to the line giving every ounce of sweat to be crowned one of the best middle distance runners of our time. 

This would be like a clash between former boxing world champion Mohammed Ali and current heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua going head-to-head, toe to toe in the ring to determine who is the real champ, yes we can only dream I know. In this week's battle of the Champions, I will be taking a look at the statistics of the two great champions of our era, one filly and one colt who raced the best and beat the best, but who would win in a dream clash between the two? 

You decide. 

Galileo was born in 1998, out of the brilliant sire Saddles Wells, and bought by Susan Magnier and Michael Tabour before being sent to Aidan O’Brien who described him as one of the most impeccably bred horses in training, he enjoyed a brief but glittering racing career which lasted only a year but what a year it was. 

He only raced once as a 2-year-old, sent off favourite for his debut in a one-mile race at Leopardstown in October 2000, he demolished the other fifteen runners by fourteen lengths in a time of 1.48.20. 

As a 3-year-old Galileo ran over the twelve-furlong distance three times and winning on each occasion. First was the Epsom Derby where he started 11/4 joint-favourite and won by three and a half lengths with Golan taking second place while recording a time of 2.33.27.It wasn’t long before he added another victory to what was becoming an already impressive career, when he won the Irish Derby in a time of 2.27.10, and next up was Britain's most prestigious open age flat race the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot, starting off odds on favourite he had an almighty battle with Fantastic light before pulling away in the final furlong and winning by two lengths in an impressive time of 2.27.01, which was at the time the fastest time for sixteen years. 

Galileo was named European Champion three-year-old at the Cartier Racing Awards and given final Timeform rating of 134 in what was phenomenal racing career and went on to become one of the most successful sires of all time. 

Enable was born in 2014 out of another great sire Nathaniel and homebred by her owner Khalid Bin Abdullah at Juddmonte farm, then sent to one of the best trainers in the business John Gosden, unlike Galileo her career is still in its prime. Enable also raced once as a 2-year-old, and her debut was a mile Maiden Stakes race at Newcastle where she was sent off 7/2 and won by just under 4-lengths going away in a time of 138.52. Her three-year-old career started with a third in a conditions race staying on well in the closing stages, it seemed the trip was too short, and she would improve when she was given a better stamina test, her next race was the Cheshire Oaks, and she stepped up in distance to eleven and a half furlongs and stayed on to win by one and three-quarter lengths, and as they say the rest is history, still unbeaten to this day with a number of Group ones to her name. 

The Epsom Oaks was her first time running a twelve furlong race and it wasn't to be a problem as she trounced the odds on favourite Rhododendron by five lengths in a time of 2.34.13 and making her the most feared horse over this distance. The Irish Oaks was next, starting the odds on favourite herself this time and she duly obliged by five and a half lengths in a time of 2.32.13, after the race Frankie Dettori said, “Enable is a very special filly” and how true he was. 

It was time to take on the big boys in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot, and she smashed them to bits with an emphatic display winning by four and a half lengths in a time of 2.36.22. 

In 2017, she was named Champion three-year-old filly at the Cartier Racing Awards and again in 2018 she was also awarded the Cartier Champion Older Horse. At present, she has a Timeform rating of 134. 

Conclusion: Reading about these two great horses gave me goosebumps, and I just wish Galileo would have raced on, and we could have seen more of him but it wasn't to be. Ending his career with a Timeform rating of 134 shows just how good he was, and then we have Enable who has only been beaten once in her career, but travelled the world and beat the best and also has a Timeform rating of 134.

If these two superstars of the racing world would have met as three-year-olds my verdict would have been a win for Galileo but only just, the fact that he posted two quicker times than Enable over the 12-furlong distance is the only thing that I can separate these two warriors of the racing game. Thanks for reading and would love to hear your verdict on who would win.

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