The Coral Eclipse Stakes is one of the great flat races on the calendar and until 2016, only the brilliant Derby winners Sea The Stars (2009) and Golden Horn (2015) had won the race for the classic generation since 2005.
That trend was bucked twelve months ago when Hawkbill won a soft ground renewal for Charlie Appleby having taken the Hampton Court Stakes on his previous start at Royal Ascot. That 10f Group 3 contest might again hold the key to this year's renewal as we begin our preview of Sandown's Group one contest.
Benbatl was beaten less than four lengths in the Derby on his penultimate start but improved for the drop back in trip when beating Orderofthegarter by half a length at the Royal meeting. A number of pundits in the aftermath of the race felt the latter may have been a shade unlucky given he came from a fair way back, but I felt the Saeed Bin Suroor trained son of Dubawi was a worthy winner and ten furlongs looks his trip.
The colt is out of Nahrain who was a top class filly for Roger Varian and BetVictor's quote of 12/1 looks very fair given both jockey Oisin Murphy and his trainer suggested this would be his next port of call.
Brilliant St James's Palace Stakes winner Barney Roy is 9/2 with BetVictor and trainer Richard Hannon seems convinced he will be as effective over ten furlongs as he is over a mile but I'm not convinced. The colt is the first foal out of a Galileo mare but he is by Excelebration and I wonder if connections would be even considering a step up in trip if they didn't also own Ribchester who has looked an outstanding miler at both Newbury (Lockinge) and Royal Ascot (Queen Anne) so far this term.
Cliffs Of Moher is the 3/1 favourite at BetVictor and the Derby runner up is a worthy market leader having showed a blistering turn of foot to come from the rear to take it up at Epsom before those exertions took its toll and he was outstayed by stablemate Wings Of Eagles.
That run marked him down as a top class colt and the assumption is that Cliffs Of Moher will bypass the Curragh and drop back in trip at Sandown. He does have the beating of Benbatl on Epsom running and I remember Hawk Wing back in 2002 finishing runner up in the Derby before scoring in the Eclipse.
Of the older horses, Ulysses and Decorated Hero ran well in defeat in the Prince Of Wales's Stakes behind the brilliant Highland Reel and both look to still be improving. That form is good but Jack Hobbs palpably failed to give his running and Highland Reel is a better horse, arguably, over an extra couple of furlongs.
Hawkbill won last year's renewal on soft ground and he would be a threat to all if there were cut in the ground. He ran away with a modest Gp 3 at Newbury on his reappearance before finishing third in the Coronation Cup when he gave every impression he wouldn't be inconvenienced by a drop in trip.
On soft ground, Hawkbill would have every chance of becoming the first back-to-back winner since the great Halling back in 1995/6 but it is the classic generation I give the vote to and at 12/1 I hope to see the beautifully bred Benbatl reverse Epsom form with Cliffs Of Moher.
Coral Eclipse Stakes:
1 point each way Benbatl 12/1 with BetVictor
