IT’S a shame that a race with such a roll of honour of famed winners and great races, that the Coral Eclipse Stakes has only a field of four today.

Although it does make an intriguing race with tactics likely to play a part - in keeping with the history or the race where many top racehorses suffered unlucky shock defeats or the race was won by tactical awareness of the rider, as in the cases of Ryan Moore on Notnowcato or Paul Hanagan on Mukhadram.

It looks a two-horse race but, with the going having some ‘soft’ in it, you could not rule out Addeybb, even if having a seven-year-old gelding on the roll of honour of a long established stallion-making race alongside Mill Reef, Sadler’s Wells, Giant’s Causeway and Sea The Stars, does jar a bit. He would be the oldest ever winner, going back to 1886.

The three-year-old representation is disapppointing but Aidan O’Brien’s classic crop are hit-and-miss recently and most appear to need at least a mile and a half, while John Gosden admitted he has no three-year-olds worthy of top class company.

The going should suit all three but it’s hard to get away from the three-year-old St Mark’s Basilica who looked a winner of the French Derby in the mould of those fine three-year-olds. Ridden as he was in France, I expect him to hold off the challenges of his two big rivals.