One of the standout summer fixtures on the Flat racing calendar takes place at Sandown Park this Saturday, as a select field of six lines up for the Coral-Eclipse, a prestigious Group 1 contest that often pits top-class three-year-olds against seasoned older horses for the first time. This clash of generations makes for compelling viewing and, even more importantly for punters, some excellent betting opportunities.
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Coral Eclipse Preview: No complaints if Ombudsman wins
Saturday’s Coral-Eclipse at Sandown Park promises a fascinating clash of generations, with just six runners going to post for the prestigious Group 1 contest. Aidan O’Brien, who has dominated this race in recent years with three wins in the last four renewals, sends out Delacroix and Camille Pissarro, while the market is headed by the John & Thady Gosden-trained Ombudsman.
Ombudsman is a strong favourite (5/4) with most betting sites, thanks in part to the withdrawals of Almaqam and Anmaat at the final declaration stage. Their absence has seen last month’s Prince of Wales’s Stakes winner shorten considerably in the betting.
The Night Of Thunder colt has won five of his six career starts, all at this distance, and arrives at Sandown after producing a career-best effort at Royal Ascot. That win came in a strongly-run race which suited him perfectly, but with no guaranteed pace in this smaller field, punters should note that a tactical affair may not play to his strengths. He also has the added challenge of conceding 10lb to some talented three-year-olds.
Among those younger contenders is Ruling Court, this year’s 2000 Guineas hero, as well as Jessica Harrington’s Hotazhell, and French raider Sosie, trained by André Fabre. Sosie arrives with strong credentials, having already bagged two French Group 1s this season, and could be a real danger if the race turns into a tactical battle.
With a £567,100 top prize on offer, the Coral-Eclipse remains one of the summer’s key races on the Flat calendar, and this renewal has all the ingredients for a high-class and tactical thriller.
Coral Eclipse Betting Tips & Predictions
Hold the verdict on Ruling Court
RULING COURT has three wins from his five career starts and it might be worth taking a forgiving approach to his effort in last month’s St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot when he was third behind the outstanding miler Field Of Gold.
The Godolphin inmate had of course defeated Field Of Gold in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket in May on his first British start of 2025.
He benefitted from a good tactical ride from William Buick that afternoon on the Rowley Mile. At Ascot, things were never going well for him. He had been a last-minute absentee from the Epsom Derby and perhaps his prep wasn’t ideal sticking to the mile after seemingly being trained for a mile-and-a-half.
He was sweaty at the start and though Buick took him back early, he was being niggled along by half way, went into the final bend at full tilt and then met a wall of traffic that denied him any sort of momentum from which to threaten the front pair.
In the circumstances, finishing third looks a very good effort and this Justify colt looks ready for 10 furlongs.
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Delacroix better than Epsom suggests
Similar sentiments for DELACROIX, the disappointing Derby favourite at Epsom. He lost his position early on and gut shuffled back, with Ryan Moore suggesting afterwards his race was effectively run there and then.
Moore sticks with Delacroix over French Derby winner Camille Pissarro now. The Ballydoyle pilot has won the last two runnings of the Coral-Eclipse on Paddington and City Of Troy, and a win now would move him to within two of Lester Piggott’s record seven race victories.
There is every chance that this Dubawi colt will rebound, as so many Aidan O’Brien contenders do from one explainable underperformance. The last four Eclipse winners were aged three, and seven of the last 10. These two colts are worth pairing against the favourite.
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