YOU don’t have to spend too long looking through the Coral-Eclipse roll of honour and past winners to see its significance in the flat racing calendar.
Mill Reef, Brigadier Gerard, Wollow, Ela-Mana-Mou, Sadler’s Wells, Pebbles, Dancing Brave, Mtoto, Nashwan, Halling, Pilsudski, Daylami, Giant’s Causeway, Hawk Wing, Falbrav, Sea The Stars, So You Think, Nathaniel, Golden Horn, Roaring Lion, Enable, Ghaiyyath, St Mark’s Basilica.
The best of horses, the best of stallions.
The first clash of the generations, on good ground at the heart of summer. It is a race to savour as the King George has lost much of its appeal as the outstanding contest of mid-summer.
This year’s Eclipse is as competitive as ever and sees two of the top three-year-olds take on a quality older horse representation.
Native Trail and Vadeni are classic winners. Vadeni’s form is difficult to link into British and his impressive Jockey-Club win took him to a higher level. But he beat El Bodegon whom he had also beaten in a Group 3 as a juvenile and you think, despite the five-length win margin, that the third Modern Games is only the third best three-year-old in Charlie Appleby’s stable?
There appears to be a lot of confidence around the Churchill colt but he is quite short and the French-trained winners are few and far between.
Native Trail was without doubt the best juvenile last season and was rated well above his contemporaries. Yet his stable companion beat him Newmarket and he didn’t impress in a muddling Irish 2000 Guineas. He can be slow to pick so while the step up in distance could be favourable, he may need a decent pace and it’s difficult to see who brings that element.
Progressive
Bay Bridge was progressive last year but only up to listed level without anyone necessarily thinking he would end up in the Group 1 Eclipse. His five-length Brigadier Gerard Stakes win was hugely impressive but the well-ridden State Of Rest was too good for him at Royal Ascot. State Of Rest’s previous Curragh effort behind Alenquer had left his connections rueing their tactics then. Broome was only fifth at the Curragh, at Ascot he beat Mostahdaf, who was well beaten by Bay Bridge at Sandown. It’s all a bit difficult to put together. Which was the real Bay Bridge? This race could come soon enough after Ascot too.
You can’t argue with David Egan’s assessment on his mount Mishriff. He’s been at the top level for three years.
“It’s a hard thing to do to give 10lbs away to improving three-year-olds at this time of year, but he’s got the form in the book.”
His Juddmonte International win last season, by six lengths from Alenquer, is probably the best piece of form here. He lacked fitness in this race last year but presumably that will not be an issue this time. It’s the 10lb that is more difficult to overcome.
I thought High Definition had a big each-way change here earlier in the week but he goes over further in Saint-Cloud tomorrow against Hurricane Lane.
Alenquer and Lord North are closely matched and the latter, a dual Group 1 Dubai Turf winner is on offer at 25/1? Odds makers may have overreacted to his Royal Ascot mishap. He wasn’t that far behind Alenquer, half his odds, at the Curragh.
It’s an intriguing tactical battle,will the turn of foot horses Bay Bridge and Vadeni be caught out by someone moving first? Will that be Native Trail, with that weight allowance over the older horses? I’d prefer him to the French horse and at the odds, I’d take Mishriff to chase him home.
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