The Coral Eclipse is a premier race run at Sandown over 1m2f at the beginning of July every year. It is the first all-age Group 1 of the British flat season, and looks set to be a humdinger in 2026 with a potentially exciting clash of generations combining for a midsummer treat.

Coral Eclipse Tips

Aidan O’Brien’s Constitution River was a stunning winner of the French Derby and he can reign supreme in the Group 1 showpiece on Saturday afternoon.

15:35 Coral-Eclipse (Group 1)

Constitution River

J: Ryan Moore

T: A P O’Brien

Result

1st 8/11F

Coral Eclipse Odds

Here is how they bet for the 2026 edition of the Coral Eclipse as things stand:

15:35 Sandown

Good To Firm

Coral-Eclipse (Group 1)

• First Prize: £560200
• 1m 1f 209y
• Class 1
• 7 runners
• Win time: 2m 4s

1st

5 (3)

10 tips

Constitution River

J: Ryan Moore

T: A P O’Brien

8/11F (Won)

• Win: £1.73
• Place: £1.05

2nd

4 (6)

A Boy Named Susie

J: Oisin Murphy

T: Donnacha Aidan O’Brien

20/1

• Place: £2.45

3rd

7 (2)

1 tip

Hawk Mountain

J: Wayne Lordan

T: A P O’Brien

11/1

• Place: £1.70

4th

3 (5)

1 tip

Saddadd

J: Ray Dawson

T: Roger Varian

4/1

OUR TIP

5th

1 (1)

3 tips

Gethin

J: James Doyle

T: Owen Burrows

4/1

6th

2 (4)

Kings Gambit

J: Jamie Spencer

T: Harry Charlton

100/1

7th

6 (7)

Flushing Meadows

J: Sean Levey

T: A P O’Brien

200/1

+o+e Betting Returns

	Payout
Exacta	£14.50
Straight Forecast	£17.81
Trifecta	£32.00

Selections

RP RATINGS:

Constitution River

SPOTLIGHT:

Gethin

Daily Record:

Hawk Mountain

NEWMARKET:

Saddadd

TOPSPEED:

Constitution River

POSTDATA:

Constitution River

The Times:

Constitution River

Telegraph:

Constitution River

The Guardian:

Constitution River

Daily Mail:

Constitution River

D Express:

Constitution River

Daily Mirror:

Constitution River

The Sun:

Constitution River

LAMBOURN:

Gethin

The Star:

Gethin

Eclipse Stakes Racecourse 

The Eclipse is broadly run over a galloping layout at Sandown’s 1m2f course. The field starts on the furthest part of the track to the grandstand, covering the first 5f broadly on a straight, with a slight kink to the right.

The field then covers a sharp right-handed u-turn, that briefly crests in the middle, before the final stretch. This ensures that over longer distances, Sandown is relatively more difficult for front-runners to hold onto their lead, which leads to more interesting tactical scenarios.

Betting Strategies for the Coral Eclipse

You can bet on the Eclipse Stakes in numerous ways, to ensure that whatever the line-up in the race, you can have a fun wager on an outcome.

Outright Winner

Ultimately, however many runners take part in a renewal of the Coral Eclipse, you will always be able to back a horse in the outright winner market. The 1/4 for City Of Troy may not have seemed like great value a year ago, but in a small field, it can still be the best way of returning a profit.

Each Way

If there are five or more runners in the 2026 Eclipse, then you can look to find an each-way play. These are traditionally horses trading at 5/1 or bigger, as you return in profit if they finish in the places. There have been 8/1 and 14/1 winners within the last decade too.

Draw Biases

Over this trip there is rarely too much of a bias in terms of the draw at Sandown. Especially given the field size is often small, runners drawn wider have little difficulty in making the switch across, while the straight is long enough for a horse ridden under any tactics to close on the leader.

Are There Any Specific Coral Eclipse Stakes Betting Offers?

As the race approaches, we will know more about any extra place, best odds guaranteed, or any other offers related to the Coral Eclipse 2026.

Coral Eclipse Stakes Trends & Historic Data

Though plenty of greats have contested the race, no horse has ever won the Eclipse on three occasions. Five horses have doubled up in it though, although none have done so since Halling in 1996. Even the great Enable fell short when Ghaiyyath defeated her in 2020 after she had won the year before.

In terms of the personnel behind the horses though, the winning-most jockey, trainer and owner are all historic names in the sport. Firstly, Lester Piggott holds the record among the riders with seven wins, including a first at the age of just 15 aboard Mystery in 1951.

Last year, Aidan O’Brien overtook Alec Taylor jr by recording a seventh win in the race with Paddington that also ensured Sue Magnier and Coolmore owned their seventh winner in the contest.

For those looking for recent trends, all of the last six winners have gone off at 11/4 or shorter, while you have to go back all the way to 2005 for the last winner at a double-figure price. This is not a race to stray away from the market leaders, while there has been an ascendancy from the Classic generation, with three-year-olds claiming the last three runnings.

Eclipse Horse Entries & Selections

The Eclipse is one of the most open races in terms of qualification and criteria. It is the first Group 1 race in which both older horses and the Classic generation can compete, with any horse aged three or upwards eligible to run in the race.

It boasts a maximum field of just 17, but rarely gets anywhere near that number, coming in between the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes, in which those four years old and upward do not have to concede weight for age penalties to the three-year-olds who are ineligible, and the King George, the more decorated prize over 1m4f.

However, it is still a top class race with significant history and pedigree. Andrew Mount and Matty Sutcliffe will no doubt have their opinions on the contest as it approaches in July.

Which Trainers Have Historically Had the Most Success in the Eclipse?

Aidan O’Brien will be looking for a record extending ninth victory in the Eclipse if any of his runners go to post. He has won three of the last four runnings courtesy of St Mark’s Basilica, Paddington and City Of Troy, though his first success was arguably the most thrilling back in 2000, when Giant’s Causeway was victorious.

However, O’Brien is only two wins ahead of Sir Michael Stoute, only adding further intrigue to the 2026 Eclipse. Stoute’s most recent win was in 2017 with Ulysses, a similar type to Passenger who ran in the same owner’s colours, while his first victory in the race was back in 1993 with Opera House.

Coral Eclipse Last 10 Winners

Favourite backers would have found the winner of five of the last ten Eclipses, although they would still have made a loss overall with three of those five having gone off at odds-on.