The Eclipse Stakes is a Group One flat race for three-year-old and above thoroughbreds run over a distance of 1 mile 2 furlongs and 7 yards at Sandown Park.
The race first took place in 1886 and is named after the great 18th century racehorse Eclipse. The race has been sponsored by Coral’s since 1976 and is the longest sponsorship in English horse racing.
The Eclipse is traditionally the race when the top horses from the classic generation (three-year-olds) meet older horses for the first time. It is a high quality race, often attracting both Newmarket and Epsom Classic winners.
Sadly there are no Classic winners from this particular season among the eight declared runners on Saturday, however the 2017 Oaks scorer and two-time Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Enable brings all the class to the table in this thoroughly intriguing contest.
Fresh from predicting the first two home in the 2019 Northumberland Plate, I will take you through all the runners and riders ahead of this weekend's Eclipse horse racing preview.
Dancetaria (D. Menuisier)
Danceteria won four handicaps on the trot last year and started this season off with a win in the Prix Jacques Laffitte, before a third place finish in the Brigadier Gerard Stakes at Sandown Park.
He has since followed up with a win in the La Coupe at Longchamp on June 10th which was his best result to date. Firm ground is a slight concern but he could easily outrun his current odds of 50/1.
Hunting Horn (A. O'Brien)
When you get a freaky result like that of Sovereign last weekend, then you can never say never to an O’Brien runner causing an upset in a race of this nature. It’s happened in the past and it will do so again in the future.
However, to believe that this son of Camelot will do the same thing as Sovereign requires a massive leap of faith. I do believe this horse will be the pacesetter for Magical and nothing else – sorry!
Mustashry (Sir M. Stoute)
Mustashry was victorious in Newbury's Lockinge Stakes on his penultimate start in May but was never a factor in the Queen Anne at Royal Ascot.
Mustashry is however a course-and-distance winner and won the Gala Stakes (Listed) here on his one and only try and this trip. The Shadwell-bred gelding should not be underestimated though and could easily run into a place.
Regal Reality (Sir M. Stoute)
Regal Reality dealt with a step up in class in fine style by landing the Brigadier Gerard Stakes at Sandown and looks like a colt going places.
Stoute is bidding to land this 1m2f contest for a record-breaking seventh time and has employed the services of Australian riding sensation, Kerrin McEvoy.
There is every chance that he might just bring home the bacon for Stoute and give him yet another Eclipse Stakes.
Zabeel Prince (R. Varian)
Roger Varian’s six-year-old Zabeel Prince showed plenty of potential in his first two runs of this season, winning the Earl Of Sefton Stakes and the Prix d’Ispahan.
Conditions at Ascot for the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes appear not to have been his cup of tea and he could quite easily bounce back from that disappointing run at the Royal meeting.
The Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum-owned six-year-old should be seen to better effect on this surface on Saturday.
Enable (J. Gosden)
Enable begins her quest for an unprecedented third Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe by running here and there is no reason to believe that she won’t be A1 for this race on her seasonal return.
John Gosden has given Enable all the time she needs to be ready, having passed over the Coronation Cup as well as a couple of other targets at the Royal Ascot meeting.
This is the race they have opted for and this will be the litmus test as to where she is this season in terms of her Arc preparation.
Knowing Gosden and his precise training methods, there is very little chance that Enable will be arriving here without being match fit- he just doesn’t do that.
Enable is racing at ten furlongs for the first time since her 2017 reappearance when she got beaten at Newbury, and if there is ever a time a punter feels a horse is vulnerable to defeat then it’s always the first time out run.
However, this filly is top class and she isn’t going to relinquish a run of nine wins on the bounce that easily.
Magical (A. O'Brien)
Aidan O’Brien’s daughter of Galileo was just nostrilled out of it by Enable in the Breeders’ Cup Turf when they last met and many pundits believe she can exact her revenge on Saturday.
Three Group wins in Ireland in April and May were followed up by Magical playing second fiddle to Crystal Ocean in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot but she can be forgiven the ground conditions there.
Magical, who would be giving O’Brien a record-equaling sixth win in the race, looks one the most likely candidates in this field to push Enable all the way.
Telecaster (H. Morrison)
This year’s Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Dante Stakes winner Telecaster will need to bounce back quickly from his Derby flop where he was well backed 5/1 shot.
The three-year-old beat a field containing the likes of Too Darn Hot, Japan and Turgenev in the Dante, so we all know that he has bags of ability. He just needs to unzip it again on Saturday afternoon.
Eclipse Stakes 2019: Conclusion
Unfortunately I cannot offer you anything like the £177.44 reversed-forecast I landed last week which had me reaching for the betting calculator, however if you were to press me for a winner and a runner-up I would side with Regal Reality to chase home the wonder filly, Enable.
888Sport suggests: Enable (win)
*Odds subject to change - correct at time of writing*
