Coral Eclipse Tips and Offers

Sandown’s Coral-Eclipse is one of the most eagerly awaited middle distance contests of the racing year. Read on for the best odds and offers and our top betting tips for this year’s renewal.

First run at Sandown in 1886, this Group 1 contest over 1m2f now offers total prize money of £450,000 and always attracts a strong field. Why not grab a free bet and improve your chances of profiting from this year’s race?

Coral-Eclipse Tips and Betting Offers, 3:35 at Sandown Park, 6 July 2019

The Coral-Eclipse holds such an important place in the horse racing season as it is traditionally the first chance for top class three-year-olds to face older opposition. Unfortunately, Telecaster is the only member of the Classic generation who will take on the strong field that’s been assembled for this big Group 1.

Enable to Make it 10 on the Spin

The big news ahead of the Coral-Eclipse is that Enable will be making her long awaited return to action. John Gosden gave Enable a nice long rest following her exploits at the end of last season but it’s now time for her to get back to work with a view to securing an unprecedented hat-trick of wins in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

There are some big tests to come before Longchamp of which the Eclipse is one. Although this isn’t the strongest level of competition Enable has faced, there are always doubts when a horse returns after a lengthy break. Gosden and his team can do all the work they like with her at home but it’s never a given to be replicated at the track.

Enable’s position at the head of the market tells you that punters are not in the least bit worried about her making her return. We’re talking about a horse who has won her last nine races. That run includes the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Churchill Downs, the Arc at Longchamp and the Oaks. Moreover, she is used to taking long breaks and usually returns in tip top form so it is a big ask for any of the others to get past Enable at Sandown.

Telecaster to Bounce Back from Derby Disappointment

Magical stepped out of Flag Of Honour’s shadow to go after a big win of her own at Royal Ascot. Aidan O’Brien and many punters felt she had a very good chance of landing the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes but she just found Crystal Ocean with too much grit on the day.

The Prince Of Wales is usually a good indicator of success in the Coral-Eclipse and Magical should run well. However, she is unlikely to get close enough to Enable and could face enough of a challenge from those underneath her in the betting to choose another option for your each way money.

Three-year-olds have won three of the last four renewals of this race. Telecaster would need an unprecedented level of improvement to improve that record but a place is by no means out of the equation. Hughie Morrison’s lightly raced charge can be forgiven for a poor showing in the Derby as Epsom is a very tough course and he can get back on track at Sandown.

Betting Predictions

The odds against prices on Enable which were available in the ante post betting have long gone. Final declarations saw her price tumble in but her incredible quality and the strength of her opposition mean that the 10/11 that Ladbrokes are quoting is more than fair.

For those looking for a bigger potential win, Telecaster is a very intriguing option to make the most of his three-year-old allowance and claim a place at 16/1 with bet365.

Coral Eclipse Previous Winners

2018 – Roaring Lion – jockey Oisin Murphy, trainer John Gosden
2017 – Ulysses – jockey Jim Crowley, trainer Sir Michael Stoute
2016 – Hawkbill – jockey William Buick, trainer Charlie Appleby
2015 – Golden Horn – jockey Frankie Dettori, trainer John Gosden
2014 – Mukhadram – jockey Paul Hanagan, trainer William Haggas
2013 – Al Kazeem – jockey James Doyle, trainer Roger Charlton
2012 – Nathaniel – jockey William Buick, trainer John Gosden
2011 – So You Think – jockey Seamie Heffernan, trainer Aidan O’Brien
2010 – Twice Over – jockey Tom Queally, trainer Sir Henry Cecil
2009 – Sea The Stars – jockey Mick Kinane, trainer John Oxx
2008 – Mount Nelson – jockey Johnny Murtagh, trainer Aidan O’Brien
2007 – Notnowcato – jockey Ryan Moore, trainer Sir Michael Stoute
2006 – David Junior – jockey Jamie Spencer, trainer Brian Meehan

Race History

Coral Eclipse

Established in 1886 this top class contest has been held at Sandown Park every year since, barring two breaks during the First and Second World War’s and in 1973 when the race was run at Kempton.

The Eclipse who is honoured in the title of this race is the 18th century’s greatest racehorse. Unbeaten in 18 career starts, Eclipse was so good that he eventually rendered his contests dead as a betting heat, as not a single soul wished to oppose him!

The famous chestnut proved almost as formidable during his career at stud, siring three Derby winners and one winner of The Oaks.

So popular and successful was his breeding line overall that Eclipse is estimated to feature somewhere in the breeding of around 95% of modern day racehorses. Frankel will have to go some to top that!

Battle of the Ages

The Eclipse is always one of the most anticipated contests of the season as being a Group 1, open to all horses aged three and over, it gives us the first real chance of the season to see a clash of the generations, as the current Classic crop do battle with the top class older horses.

Bendigo was the inaugural winner of this event, and still hold a place in the history books all these years later. The son of Ben Battle succeeded here at the age of six making him still, as of 2016, the oldest winner in the history of the race.

Orme became the first horse to win two Eclipse’s when coming home in front in both 1892 and 1893 for John Porter. Saeed bin Suroor’s Halling was the fifth to the double just over one hundred years later in 1995 and 1996.

The Biggest Names

Many of horse racing’s greatest and most famous names feature on the list of previous heroes here including Mill Reef (1971), Brigadier Gerard (1972), Dancing Brave (1986) and Sea The Stars (2009).

In terms of the leading trainers, Aidan O’Brien’s five wins between 2000 and 2011 put him hot on the heels of Alec Taylor, Jr., with six wins between 1909 and 1923, and Sir Michael Stoute, who landed his sixth winner in 2017. Lester Piggott tops the jockey’s standings with seven victories in all.

In terms of the age of the winners, the older performers hold the edge but there’s not much in it. Of the first 117 winners here, 47 were three year olds, 53 were four year olds, 16 were five year olds and then of course we had Bendigo as the sole six year old to prevail.

Who will write their name in the history books this year? Whoever you fancy, why not claim a free bet when you place your wager and increase your chances of success?