AS sponsorships in racing go, the Coral-Eclipse is up there with the best of them. It has all the elements, like longevity, an association that goes back almost half a century. It means that it is difficult to say Eclipse without putting Coral in front of it.

Association is key too, not replacement. You get the sponsorship deals in which the sponsor’s name replaces the race name, that well-worn trick that forces ‘mentions’ but which weakens identity and which erodes the very stepping stones that take us through the seasons.