One of the features of the Flat season, the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown Park on Saturday 5th July is set to be a stonking renewal and our value tipster Matty Sutcliffe takes a look at the 1m 2f Group 1 and picks out two selections in the ante-post betting.
Delacroix 10/1 1pt WIN
With a combined ten Group One winners in the first third of the ante-post market alone, the Coral-Eclipse has the potential to be one of the races of the season. However, the potential for it to lamentably whittle down to a small field is arguably far greater which makes it tricky to navigate value at this stage.
Field Of Gold and Ombudsman are unlikely to face off against each other with the latter the seemingly preferable Clarehaven candidate, there’s little value in Sosie’s market price given he’s likely to start marginally shorter than 3/1 making him an unappealing ante-post play likewise with Camille Pissarro, Almaqam’s chances may be hindered by the dry forecast, Haggas didn’t seem all that keen on Economics turning up, Calandagan is likely going to target the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, so the most obvious candidate at the price is DELACROIX.
Earlier today, Aidan O’Brien penciled in the Eclipse for Delacroix who may be slightly overlooked after his disappointing effort in the Derby. Very little went right for the 2/1F, who reportedly became unbalanced after suffering interference at the top of the hill causing him to lose his position under Ryan Moore and end up third last off the bend.
The Dubawi colt initially came wide off the turn before being switched inside down to camber, but he was looked after once his chance had gone and we can attribute the effort down to simply detesting the Epsom undulations.
Dropping back to ten furlongs where he is two from two over will suit, as will the return to a more conventional track. It’s worth noting that he gave 3lbs to the subsequent Derby winner Lambourn on seasonal debut in the Ballysax when bolting away in impressive fashion, and he then had the Derby third Tennessee Stud a further six lengths back in Derby Trial Stakes, so the form evidently holds up.
His sole run right handed saw him win cosily at the Curragh on his second start, and he hung right into Hotazhell in the Futurity Stakes at Doncaster, so the nature of Sandown is likely to suit strongly and should he be the mount of Ryan Moore, then the he’ll no doubt be at least half the price at the time of writing come declarations.
White Birch 16/1 1pt EW 3 places
Connections of WHITE BIRCH opted to skip the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes on account of the quick ground which doesn’t bode entirely well given the forecast, but given the field could potentially be a small one it wouldn’t be a huge surprise if they rolled the dice particularly given he has form on good to firm ground, such as his second in the Dante followed up by his third in the Derby.
His record over 1m2f reads 1211124, with two of the three defeats coming by a neck, and the latest defeat which was in the Tattersalls Gold Cup looked particularly unlucky as he was firmly on the bridle until one and half furlongs out, and by the time he got daylight (if any), the winning chance had flown given all his rivals had already started to hit top gear. His finishing speed percentage was unsurprisingly the second highest, and he clocked the quickest final furlong further backing up how unlucky he looked.
Anmaat franked the form when second to Ombudsman in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes, and a race of this nature where he can travel in behind leaders. Classy five-year-olds such as Ghaiyyath and Enable have won this race in recent years, and his sire Ulysses was successful in this race in 2017. If connections roll the dice, and given the Sandown clerk will likely turn the taps on, he looks a rock solid each way play at this stage.
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