By Patrick Pierce
A true sign that we’re in the thick of the summer sporting schedule is the arrival of the much-loved Coral Eclipse at Sandown. First contested in 1886, this Group One flat race run over 1m 1f ranks as a real favourite with the game’s purists and a cool £500,000 prize pot ensures the big names come out to play.
Ulysses was ridden to success by jockey Jim Crowley in 2017 and punters who saw that result coming were cheering home a fantastic 8/1 winner as the talented colt crossed the line in front of a bumper Surrey audience.
The victor was made to work for the spoils, however, with runner-up Barney Roy beaten by the tightest of margins – a nose the official distance – and the current betting suggests we’re in for another fiercely competitive renewal.
Source: Racing.com via Twitter
There’s plenty of top-class horse racing to get through between now and the Coral Eclipse – Saturday 7th July this year – with experts preoccupied with giving their race tips for today and the upcoming Royal Ascot meet but they’ll find value if looking ahead with traders stuck on the fence concerning the Eclipse ante-post market.
A month before the off, Betfair’s odds compilers have failed to take sides, going with joint-favourites. Masar and Roaring Lion have been marked up at the head of the betting with 3/1 currently available on both. Shrewd backers will pounce on that indecision, but will the winner come from those two or something at a bigger price?
Flicking through past results of this race, you’ll find it pays to oppose the tighter quotes and take a punt on one carrying more attractive odds. Ulysses won last year off a helpful 8/1 and that followed Hawkbill’s success the year before at 6/1, odds-on favourite The Gurkha finishing second that day. Mukhadram was another eye-catcher when connections claimed the trophy back in 2014 at 14/1.
Source: ITV News Anglia via Twitter
With that in mind, there are a few towards the middle of the ante-post list that appeal, including Hawkbill at a cracking 12/1. The American-bred horse won the Coral Eclipse two years ago but missed out on a chance to defend his crown last summer. He’s back and handlers expect him to go close again.
The Godolphin-owned five-year-old represents the Charlie Appleby yard in Newmarket and carries an impressive CV showing eight wins and a couple of placed efforts from 14 starts. He was disappointing when finishing towards the rear in this year’s Coronation Cup at Epsom on the opening day of June but that was a much stronger field than he faces here and recent results make the slip-up easy to forgive.
Hawkbill won his first two outings of the year when scoring twice at Meydan in March. He held off Frontiersman by a head in the Dubai City of Gold Stakes when going off a 2/1 favourite and followed up three weeks later when bagging the Dubai Sheema Classic over 1m 4f. The margin of victory was more convincing on that occasion, silver medallist Poet’s Word beaten by a clear three lengths.