Head-Maarek: 'When she wins a second Arc then maybe I can compare her to Treve!'
By Racing TV
Last Updated: Tue 5 Dec 2023
By Racinguk.com staff
Criquette Head-Maarek, trainer of Treve, believes that Arc heroine Enable still has a little way to go before she reaches the level of her dual Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner.
Enable secured her fifth successive Group One victory at Chantilly on Sunday with her two and a half length defeat of Cloth Of Stars.
The brilliant Treve became the first horse since Alleged in the 1970s to win back-to-back runnings of Europe's premier middle-distance contest in 2013 and 2014.
She was retired after finishing fourth behind Golden Horn when bidding to become the first three-time Arc winner in history two years ago.
Overall she accumulated six wins at the highest level and achieved a highest Timeform rating of 129. In contrast, Enable sits on 134.
Asked how she would compare her to her former superstar filly, Head-Maarek joked: "When she wins a second Arc, then maybe I can compare her to Treve.
"I wish I had her in my stable, that is for sure."
"She is a top-class filly and I was so pleased to see her win.
"When you love horses, you want to see the best horses winning and she was so much better than the rest yesterday.
"She travelled so strongly and was even a little bit free. They weren't going fast enough for her, but when Frankie asked her to quicken the race was over."
Enable added Europe’s most valuable race to her triumphs in the Oaks, Irish Oaks, King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes and Yorkshire Oaks.
Head-Maarek was particularly pleased for owner-breeder Prince Khalid Abdullah, for whom she trains several horses.
"I'm delighted for Prince Khalid. It is special for him," she added.
Treve is one of seven dual winners of the Prix de l'Arc de Triopmhe. Enable is 4-1 to join that list at Longchamp next season. (Racingfotos)
"It is not only what the filly did yesterday, what she has done all year has been fantastic. The way she won the Oaks and in Ascot (King George) was so good."
Alain de Royer-Dupre has saddled two Arc winners in Dalakhani (2003) and the unbeaten mare Zarkava.
He said: "I think Enable is a similar kind of filly to Zarkava. She has a large amount of ability and even if she had got into a traffic jam it would not have mattered.
"She was able to gallop clear of the rest of them with ease."
Andre Fabre has trained a record seven winners of the prestigious event, in addition to Cloth Of Stars on Sunday.
He said: "Enable was very impressive, not for the first time this year.
Enable has won her five Group One races by an aggregate distance of 22 1/2 lengths (FranceGalop)
"I was delighted with Cloth Of Stars. He did what I expected him to do.
"We'll see how he comes out of the race, but we could look at the Breeders' Cup.
"It is a bit soon to say whether he will stay in training next year."
Gosden's fellow Newmarket-based trainer Sir Michael Stoute struck gold in 2010 with Derby hero Workforce and saw his Coral-Eclipse and Juddmonte International winner Ulysses finish third on Sunday.
Of Enable, he said: "She's a machine. I think she rates right up there with the best." Mick Kinane won the Arc three times aboard Carroll House (1989), Montjeu (1999) and Sea The Stars (2009).
He was keen to praise both horse and rider, with Dettori becoming the most successful rider in the race's history after claiming his fifth victory.
Kinane said: "She's obviously a fantastic filly. It's great to see.
"She looks like a filly who likes to get on with it and you'd have to say she was very impressive.
"She's an exceptional filly and it's a great record for Frankie to have."
Related posts
Five horses to follow from our experts on Saturday
Photo-finish drama! Wrong result called after Perth finale
Dave Nevison's Saturday tips: best bets at Sandown and Haydock
Martin Dixon's tips for Saturday: "I think he'll be hard to beat"
Five horses to follow on Friday from our experts
Featured offers
Bet £10 get £40 in free bets with Kwiff
T&Cs Apply
Claim Now
Bet £10 Get £30 in free bets with Betano
T&Cs Apply
Claim Now
Bet £10 Get £50 in free bets in Multis with Betfair
T&Cs Apply
Claim Now
Copyright 2026 Racing TV - All Rights Reserved.
Please bet responsibly
Copyright 2026. All rights reserved