13:50, Coral Charge
She's Quality 4/1, 1.5pts win
The 5 furlong Group 3 that opens the card is about as open as it gets. Kerdos' 5th place finish in a Group 1 last time out is good form but he is short enough in the market for a horse who wins rarely. Andrestia won nicely at the same meeting but is stepping out of handicap company and 3 year olds don't have a great recent record in this. Rumstar is of some interest but has run badly on his last 2 starts and has also run poorly on his only 2 starts at Sandown. The percentage call is the Irish filly She's Quality. Jack Davison's daughter of Acclimation progressed through the ranks last year and has carried on where she left off with 2 runner up placings at group level so far this year. She's a bit fresher than some of these as she missed Royal Ascot and her form from the Temple Stakes reads well in this. She's drawn in stall 4 but the 3 inside of her are unlikely front runners so there's a good chance she will get the inside rail and could prove hard to pass.
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14:25, Coral Challenge
Greek Order 11/4, 2pts win
The big handicap of the afternoon and it has paid to look towards the higher rated runners in recent years. Hi Royal tops the weights and has decent form but was poor in the Hunt Cup last time out and isn't reliable. Treasure Time looked progressive last year and must be in calculations on seasonal debut whilst Classic always runs well at the Esher track and has a chance. Preference though is for Michael Bell's Greek Order. He finished a decent 4th in the Hunt Cup last time out on what was his first start in the UK since finishing 3rd in a Listed race at the back end of 2023. He's still well weighted on old form, as when 2nd in the 2023 Cambridgeshire and must have a huge chance in this easier race with Ryan Moore taking the ride.
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15:00, Coral Distaff
Blue Bolt 7/4, 2pts win
This listed race for fillies has been won by 22/1 and 25/1 shots for the past 2 years but it looks unlikely that this year's renewal will throw up such a shock. Victory Queen is unbeaten in 2 starts and should go well for all she needs to up her game quite a bit along with Supermodel and Cajole who bring in decent handicap form. Bermuda Longtail is considered if shrugging off her poor run at form but they all look to have plenty on their plate to defeat Juddemonte's Blue Point filly Blue Bolt. Andrew Balding's runner hasn't looked back since disappointing at Southwell on career debut. She bolted up at Windsor on quick ground in a maiden before dismissing a fair field at Newbury under a penalty. The form isn't outstanding but the manner in which she has been striding clear of her opposition suggests she is a classy filly and looks capable of taking the next step up the ladder.
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15:35, Coral Eclipse
Ombudsman 11/10, 2pts win
This will be the 16th Eclipse I have seen. It all started for me in 2009 when one of the greatest racehorses of all time, Sea The Stars, fended off the late challenge of Rip Van Winkle in a race for the ages. Sea The Stars would go through the year unbeaten in a campaign that brought 6 straight Group 1's culminating in the Arc. It was a season that will likely never be surpassed and I count myself privileged to have witnessed part of it. Some legends of the game have won this since however, including Golden Horn and Enable. But every year throws up something memorable. Dual Champion Stakes hero Twice Over was a poignant winner for Sir Henry Cecil in 2010 whilst the 2011 renewal threw up a classic dual between Australian superstar So You Think and Derby/Arc winner Workforce, with the colt from down under winning the argument. Nathaniel proved the doubters wrong in 2012, Al Kazeem lit up the summer of 2013 when following up here after victory in the Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot. Roger Charlton's great horse edged out Mukhadram that day but that colt would come back 12 months on to claim the prize for himself in 2014, a renewal in which Nigh Of Thunder was well beaten. Golden Horn followed up his Derby win in 2015 before taking an Arc and in 2016 Hawkbill angered punters when he edged out Coolmore's French Guineas winner The Gurkha. In 2017 the classy Ulysses came out the victor in a lengthy battle with Barney Roy and a year later Roaring Lion would down Guineas winner Saxon Warrior in a race that was the first sign of his greatness. Enable brought the house down in 2019 but Ghaiyyath had no witnesses to his brutal route in 2020 due to Covid restrictions. St Mark's Basilica defied Emily Upjohn in 2021 during a perfect campaign that also yielded 2 French Classics and an Irish Champion Stakes. Another French Derby winner won the 2022 edition in the shape of Vadeni before Coolmore stepped in to win the last 2 renewals with the iron clad Paddington in 2023 and the imperious City Of Troy last year.
6 go to post this year and they are headed by the once beaten Godolphin colt Ombudsman. This 4 year old son of Night Of Thunder bids to do what his father could not and win Sandown's only Group 1. After a perfect campaign last year a 3 year old this powerful colt tasted defeat for the first time over this course and distance in the Brigadier Gerard Stakes back in May but it is worth noting that he was visibly in need of the run that day and still looked as though he would win coming down to the final furlong. That form was still top drawer however, as the winner, Almaqam, was in receipt of weight and is a Group 1 level performer in his own right. Ombudsman stepped up markedly from that to run out an easy winner of the Prince Of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot 17 days ago though in what for many was the performance of the week. The manner in which he sprinted past his rivals as if they were stood still has stuck in the mind and he attempts to become the first horse since Al Kazeem to follow up in the Eclipse after taking the Prince Of Wales's Stakes. Opposition is fierce however, as it should be. French training master Andre Fabre sends Sosie across the channel. This 4 year old has come a long way since finishing 4th in last year's Arc. He has won both his starts this year in impressive fashion and has shown that he has the pace for this trip as well. His form however, does not look as strong as Ombudsman and he's not proven on quick ground. Nobody can question the wisdom of his trainer however and this son of Sea The Stars is respected in his attempt to emulate his father's win in this race. Both Ombudsman and Sosie must give weight to the rest of the field here as they are all 3 year olds. It is worth remembering that all of the past 4 winners have been from the classic generation and indeed all of them were also classic winners: St Mark's Basilica (French Guineas & French Derby), Vadeni (French Derby), Paddington (Irish 2000 Guineas) and City Of Troy (Derby). 2 of the 4 here today are classic winners. Ruling Court downed Field Of Golden when winning the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket and looked destined for a crack at the Derby before being pulled out at the 11th hour. He disappointed at Royal Ascot since however and is now deserted by William Buick. He looks to have a point to prove now and he could not have been found a harder race. Camille Pissarro is the other Classic winner in the race having won the French Derby last month. He's improving all the time but the form of the French Classics has not looked up to scratch this year and he is also deserted by his usual jockey, Ryan Moore. Whilst Buick jumps ship to Ombudsman which is expected given how imperious he looked last time out, Ryan Moore has raised a few eyebrows by deserting a French Derby winner for Delacroix, a colt who was last seen finish down the field in the Derby at Epsom. This son of Dubawi and Tepin did start favourite for the Derby however, and the thinking in Ballydoyle is that this is his preferred distance. Epsom was a non event really and this will be more a test of his credentials. In receipt of weight Delacroix could be the main opposition to Ombudsman as he looked faultless in the spring when hacking up in his 2 Derby trials. He's a lovely looking individual and will have his optimum conditions here. Jessie Harrington's Too Darn Hot colt, Hotazhell rounds off the field. He defeated Delacroix at Doncaster last year but has only been seen once since and that was a satisfactory run when 3rd in the Irish 2000 Guineas but does need to step forward a great deal here.
It's a classy renewal of the Eclipse but Ombudsman should be up to defying the weight concession and cementing his place in racing legend.
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Haydock
15:15, bet365 Old Newton Cup Handicap
My Dream World 11/1, 1pt each-way (5 places)
The big handicap of the day is at Haydock, the Old Newton Cup. Ben Brookhouse's My Dream World looked a horse to follow last year and stepped up on a fair seasonal debut run at Ascot when winning the Queen Mother's Cup at York last time out. I think he is worth more than his mark still and being still lightly raced had room for improvement. He has won at this course which bodes well and Jason Hart rides for the first time.
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