THE power of bilocation or maybe even trilocation would not go astray for Teddy Grimthorpe during what he describes as ‘Logjam Week’.

Being Prince Khalid Abdullah’s racing manager ensures a busy diary at the best of times, but throw in his responsibilities as chairman of his local track at York and it is bordering on the manic:

There will be runners elsewhere too today that Grimthorpe could run the rule over if he were able to be in five places at one time. In the absence of superpowers, or even a Scotty to beam him up, he will have to satisfy himself with watching videos of some of the races and speaking to the trainers.

He plumped for Newmarket on Thursday, Paris yesterday evening, where Ice Breeze represented the organisation in the Juddmonte-sponsored Group 1 Grand Prix de Paris, and Kildare this evening, as Enable attempts to justify prohibitive odds to win the Darley Irish Oaks.

You wonder how he manages to keep sane with such a schedule.

“If you like racing and are totally unemployable in any other sphere of life, it’s the greatest job on earth,” Grimthorpe enthuses. “I love it.”

Edward Beckett did not just inherit the title of Lord Grimthorpe from his father Christopher. The passion for racing flourished from the beginning as the fourth Baron Grimthorpe-bred 1000 Guineas winner Mrs McArdy, had a number of horses in training, was a member of the Jockey Club and a director of Thirsk Racecourse. The third Baron, Ralph (the trainer of the same name is a cousin of Teddy’s) owned Grand National victor Fortria.

IMMERSED

Teddy was immersed in the industry from the very beginning and emerged from Harrow to become a successful bloodstock agent at the British Bloodstock Agency. His shrewdness caught Prince Khalid’s eye and when Grant Pritchard-Gordon stood down as racing manager, the Saudi turned to Grimthorpe.

That was 1999 and they have enjoyed some stunning success together. Beat Hollow, Banks Hill, Oasis Dream, Rail Link, Midday, Twice Over, Workforce, Noble Mission, Flintshire, Kingman and New Bay are just some of the worthy successors since then to the first homebred winner Fine Edge and subsequent equine luminaries of the calibre of Rainbow Quest, Dancing Brave, Sanglamore, Quest For Fame, Zafonic, Commander In Chief, Wemyss Bight, Sunshack and Reams Of Verse.

In recent years, Frankel and Arrogate have come along, the best ever to race in the immediately recognisable green jacket with pink sash, pink cap and white sleeves.

Maintaining the legacy is imperative, on the track and off it. Broodmares are as central to Juddmonte Farms as stallions and Enable is already assured of an off-track career, while still producing on it.

She is hot favourite to bridge a 23-year gap since Bolas provided Abdullah with his last Irish Oaks, 12 months after Wemyss Bight gave him his first. The daughter of Nathaniel is attempting to back up a scintillating performance at Epsom, where she broke the race record, despite a torrential downpour, en route to an authoritative, five-length defeat of Rhododendron, with the rest nowhere.

Trainer John Gosden has given her some time off before stepping up her work once more to be in prime condition for the double bid.

“She’s been in good form. She had a little bit of a break. John brought her back and her work has been very solid and consistent since.

“I think if you run an Oaks in a record time, no matter how easy it looks, it’s going to take a lot out of you. There’s no question about that, which is why it’ll be six weeks since the race. That’s a good enough gap.”

SPECTACULAR

It was a spectacular display as she lay in third behind the trailblazing Pocketfullofdreams before joining issue just over three furlongs out. Rhododendron loomed on her outside but the gutsy bay had acceleration and stamina to burn, wearing down her Ballydoyle rival before streaking clear inside the final furlong.

“We were in a fortunate position. Given her pedigree and the way she is physically, we were pretty confident that she would stay a mile and a half. Of course staying a mile and a half under those circumstances and staying a mile and a half isn’t always the same thing but certainly the way the race panned out would have suited her.

“Touch wood there have been no hiccups with the way the horse has been, the way she has worked and the way she has come on since the race so from that point of view it has been a straightforward preparation.

“Which you must have for any classic preparation,” he emphasises. “It is so vital.”

The ears prick at the suggestion that Enable has “come on”. The rest can stay at home if she has improved since June 2nd but a similar performance should be more than enough.

“I think we can only tell that in a race. Certainly on form she looks a good thing but you can’t throw the form book into the paddock. You’ve gotta come with the goods and you’ve gotta come with your A-game and we are obviously gonna have to try to do that.

“It’s hard to say who’s gonna turn up but obviously in terms of how the race is run, we’re acutely aware of what’s required of our filly and we’ll concentrate on her.”

FRANKIE BACK

To add to the considerable package, Frankie Dettori will be on board having missed more than four weeks after suffering an arm injury when thrown from his mount in the parade ring at Yarmouth just 11 days after Enable’s Epsom heroics.

He has had to endure the torture of missing out on a slew of high-class winners, particularly at Royal Ascot, which is sure to make him even keener to hit the headlines quickly following his return at Newmarket on Thursday.

The Italian has enjoyed major success at the Curragh on countless occasions during a storied career and is pursuing a fourth Irish Oaks. Lailani was his first winner in 2001, while he was at the heart of the most wonderful scenes two years later when booting the Paddy Mullins-trained Vintage Tipple home. Blue Bunting was his most recent winner, in 2011.

“I’ve seen him riding work and I’ve seen him throw his hands up and down and gesticulate so he looks in very good form both physically and mentally,” jokes Grimthorpe, before adding simply, “He’s one of the greats, isn’t he?”

Grimthorpe has always enjoyed travelling to Ireland.

“My memory is not always that great but I do remember the weekend when Noble Mission made all to win the Tattersalls Gold Cup and Kingman won the Guineas. That was truly memorable.”

The weather was atrocious at HQ three years ago and it was an indication of Kingman’s class that he powered through on heavy going. It was a credit to connections that they ran him at all.

“It suited Noble Mission and Kingman coped with it. That having been said, Noble Mission went on and won two more Group 1s so it wasn’t a flash in the pan either.”

He won’t be drawn on the ongoing controversy surrounding whether or not the major fixtures, or any racing, should be taking place at the Curragh during the extensive redevelopment, light-heartedly suggesting that his opinion will depend on the result this afternoon.

The boss will not be in attendance today, curtailing his travelling as he gets older, but he will be tuned in and will have the debrief soon after.

“His passion is certainly undiminished. He watches everything and we are in very regular contact.”

ARROGATE

The past year or so has been wonderful from a racing perspective. It says much that Enable must settle for a place in the supporting cast with one clear leading man. Since November, Arrogate has vaulted to the top of the world rankings by turning potential into reality, garnering the Breeders’ Cup Classic, the Pegasus World Cup and the Dubai World Cup. The Bob Baffert-trained four-year-old could begin his build-up to the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar with an appearance at the track next Saturday.

“We’re very lucky to have a horse like Arrogate, who’s a serious flagbearer. To have a horse like that is very special. We’re excited about him and it looks like he will probably run in the San Diego.”

Given the global nature of the breeding operation, one wonders if there was much of a discussion surrounding the possibility of Arrogate going to stud at the end of his three-year-old career.

“No. Everybody wants to retire a stallion on a high. Trying to organise that is not always the easiest thing to do but with Arrogate, he’d only run as a three-year-old, he didn’t run as a two-year-old, so we felt there was more in the tank definitely. And the way things have turned out that looks to be a good move. As with Enable, he has to bring his A-game every time but he’s in fantastic form and he worked really well (this week).”

The racing manager has constantly been asked to compare Arrogate with Frankel.

“I always quote Andre Fabre on this and say that we don’t rate our friends. They are entirely different, thank goodness and we’re enjoying them.”

Another reason that Arrogate did not need to be rushed to the breeding shed was that Juddmonte possesses a good roster already. Oasis Dream and Dansili have had long and fruitful careers, while Kingman represents the newest breed, whose first crop will race next year. Bated Breath is turning out plenty of winners early on, the Gordon Elliott-trained Beckford supplying his first group victor in the Railway Stakes.

FRANKEL

And Frankel has hit the ground at an even quicker rate, the latest landmark coming when Atty Persse secured his first Royal Ascot success in the King George V Handicap.

“He’s started off superbly in terms of winners, stakes winners and class horses. He has to keep on delivering at the highest level which is what people are expecting, wanting and paying for but we couldn’t be happier with the start he’s made.”

Fair Eva assured her spot in history when bagging Frankel’s first stakes success – appropriately in the Group 3 Princess Margaret Juddmonte Stakes at Ascot last July.

“She’s coming good. She had a colic interruption but I would hope we will still have her in action later on this year.

“It was a good run (fifth to Winter in the 1,000 Guineas) considering she scooped full of grass and mud down her trachea, which whether it was an accumulation or one big thing got in her nostrils, it’s hard to say. It’s hard to say what affect it had either. I thought at one stage she was going to take a big part in the race but in the end she just flattened out a little bit.”

There are others that should add to a CV that was headlined by 200 Group/Grade 1s worldwide before Ice Breeze attempted to make it 201 last night, and 25 classic winners – Enable obtaining the landmark 200/25 figures at Epsom.

Mori held an entry in the Irish Oaks but there was little point taking on Enable and anyway, it was deemed a little soon for the Frankel filly after finishing second to Coronet, touched off by a neck under Pat Smullen in the Ribblesdale Stakes 23 days ago.

“We still think there’s improvement in Mori. She ran a super race and obviously had quite a hard race at Ascot and needs a little more time.”

Shutter Speed lost little apart from an unbeaten record when fourth in the Prix de Diane, just one and a half lengths behind Senga. The daughter of Dansili has plenty to offer before the season is out.

“We’re looking at various options for her but a Nassau could be a possibility.”

Meanwhile, another Frankel product, Mirage Dancer appears to be still learning his trade.

“He’s a work in progress, no question about that. He ran well at Ascot for the Royal meeting. He just has to develop and furnish a bit more and then hopefully we’ll have a real one on our hands but he’s coming on and came out of the race well. I think we probably wouldn’t be too ambitious with him at this stage but he fits the profile of the trainer (Michael Stoute) and the trainer fits the profile of the horse.”

There is always a target to chase down in this game.

“There are one or two races that haven’t got pink and green on them and we certainly keep an eye on them,” Grimthorpe admits with a grin. With the good Lord steering the ship, expect at least a few of those boxes to be ticked.