2023 Coral-Eclipse Tips

Emily Upjohn has been fairly lightly-raced in the past twelve months although there’s no denying her obvious class. There was an impressive three-length win in the Qipco British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes back in October on British Champions Day, while she was then able to get the better of Westover in the Coronation Cup during the Epsom Derby Festival.

With a mares’ allowance in her favour, it’s easy to see why the bookies make the horse the one to beat in the Coral-Eclipse, although Paddington is on a roll and the Aidan O’Brien-trained runner has to be respected, with the three-year-old having followed up a win at Naas with a double victory at the Curragh and then came a win at Ascot.

The win in the St James’ Palace Stakes at the Royal Ascot meeting means that we have to respect the chances of a horse who has now scored five successive wins, with Ryan Moore having previously steered the runner to a 3/1 victory in the Irish 2,000 Guineas. However, there are other threats and Anmaat is a capable horse who can strike for Owen Burrows.

The five-year-old most recently landed a win in France when triumphing in the Prix d’Ispahan over one mile and one furlong, with that coming on good to soft ground. Previously to this was a second-placed finish in the bet365 Gordon Richards Stakes, with the horse landing a victory in the Qatar Prix Dollar over one mile two furlongs on very soft ground.

2022 Coral Eclipse Stakes Tips

St Mark’s Basilica was the three-year-old winner of the 2021 Eclipse Stakes and perhaps we’ll see another horse of that age triumph in the 2022 renewal. Native Trail is the Eclipse betting favourite and William Buick was on board this horse when obliging as the 2/5 favourite in the Tattersalls Irish 2,000 Guineas.

The horse was previously beaten in the English 2,000 Guineas when sent off as the 5/4 favourite, with Coroebus having proven too strong in the final reckoning although this runner won’t be lining up to topple his stablemate on this particular occasion.

Bay Bridge has more experience and this will be included in many punters’ Coral Eclipse Stakes betting tips, with the four-year-old having run gallantly at the Royal Ascot meeting in June. The Sir Michael Stoute-trained charge was sent off as the 10/11 favourite for the Prince of Wales’s Stakes before being toppled by State of Rest.

The horse didn’t actually do a whole lot wrong in this race and the Eclipse Stakes will be over the same distance, with this horse currently trading at backable each-way odds. We should also note that Bay Bridge won the Coral Brigadier Gerard Stakes at Sandown Park already.

Mishriff is an interesting contender, with the five-year-old trained by John Gosden and this handler has previously enjoyed success with Enable and Roaring Lion among others. However, the horse has plenty to prove after an underwhelming performance at Riyadh last time he ran.

The runner was also somewhat under par when finishing fourth in the British Champions Day at Ascot and we think that there could be more each-way value by backing State Of Rest. The horse can prove that his win over Bay Bridge at the Royal Ascot meeting certainly wasn’t a fluke.

Can Mishriff Win as the Coral Eclipse Betting Favourite?

Mishriff is a horse that might take some beating at Sandown Park on Saturday 3 July 2021, with John Gosden saddling a four-year-old who has already racked up a number of wins during his short career and there could be plenty more in the tank.

The horse has only underwhelmed once during his career, with Frankie Dettori riding Mishriff in the Qipco Champion Stakes but the runner could only finish eighth, although there have been plenty of flashier performances and that includes a February win in the Saudi Cup which was followed up by another success at Meydan.

The victory in the Longines Dubai Sheema Classic Presented By Longines was a massive money maker, with the horse landing prize money of over £2 million for the victory in the one mile four furlong encounter and it’s easy to see why the horse is the market leader.

St Mark’s Basilica and Lord North Also Among Eclipse Favourites

St Mark’s Basilica leads the challenge from trainer Aidan O’Brien and the three-year-old already has a couple of wins on the board in 2021, with a fine performance on very soft ground to win the Emirates Poule d'Essai des Poulains on 16 May, while this was followed up by a win in the Qatar Prix de Jockey Club.

This horse could continue on an upward trajectory considering that there was a previous victory in the Darley Dewhurst Stakes, with O’Brien having high hopes for his first string horse although there are plenty of others that can emerge from this stable.

Lord North has travelled far and wide to compete for trainer John Gosden and was most recently seen securing a win in the Group 1 Dubai Turf at Meydan, with Frankie Dettori likely to retain the ride on a horse that won the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot.

2020 Coral Eclipse betting odds preview

The 2020 Coral Eclipse Stakes is scheduled to take place on Sunday 5 July, with the race being run over a distance of one mile, one furlong and 209 yards. It’s one of the high-profile races of the UK Flat season, with Sandown Racecourse playing host to a race where the prize money is suitably big.

Can Anything Stop Enable Winning 2020 Eclipse Stakes?

Enable is fast developing into a horse racing legend, with the filly having already landed a number of Group 1 victories and this includes the 2019 Coral Eclipse Stakes, with the John Gosden-trained charge currently trading at around the even money mark to land the spoils at Sandown.

The six-year-old hasn’t had an outing since the Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp last year, with Enable narrowly beaten into second by Waldgeist after a previously stellar season which includes high-profile victories at York, Ascot and Sandown.

Enable is back in training and could be even better as a six-year-old, with the Gosden horse having enjoyed an unbeaten record spanning several years until that defeat in the Arc although she remains a class operator and could be significantly better than anything else in the race.

Victories in the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes and the Darley Yorkshire Oaks were visually impressive, although there’s that nagging doubt that a lengthy absence away from the racecourse could yield a different set of results.

Ghaiyyath Looks to Be the Main Danger to Enable

Ghaiyyath is not a horse to be taken lightly and it will be interesting to see how the Charlie Appleby-trained charge competes against Enable, with the five-year-old having won the Coronation Cup Stakes at Newmarket on 5 June.

William Buick made all on board this talented horse and he was able to fend off Anthony Van Dyck, with no other runner in the race able to reel in the front runner and it will be interesting to see if the same tactics are employed in the Eclipse.

Ghaiyyath also offers alternative value by virtue of the fact that the horse ran at Meydan in February and has therefore been raced regularly, although some will wonder if the horse might throw in a stinker considering that he finished well down the pecking order when lining up against Enable in the Arc.

The History of the Coral Eclipse Stakes

As we know, Enable was the 2019 winner of this prestigious race and a victory in 2020 would make her the first back-to-back victor since Halling landed the spoils in 1995 and 1996. However, John Gosden is bidding for a consecutive hat-trick considering that the legendary trainer saddled Roaring Lion in 2018, while he was also successful with Nathaniel in 2012.

Charlie Appleby also knows what is required to produce an Eclipse Stakes winner, with Hawkbill winning in the Godolphin colours in 2016, while Sir Michael Stoute is one of the most successful trainers in the race’s history with six victories.

The first Coral Eclipse Stakes race took place in 1886 and has now become one of the most popular and high-profile Group 1 races on the Flat calendar.