The Eclipse Stakes is tomorrow. Saturday July 5 at Sandown Park — a Group 1 over a mile and a quarter worth over £1m in prize money. The first major middle-distance championship of the post-Ascot summer, and this year's renewal has genuine Classic-vs-older-horse intrigue.
The Central Storyline
Benvenuto Cellini — the Frankel colt who won the Irish Derby at the Curragh last weekend — is the most talked-about potential runner. Trained by Aidan O'Brien, ridden by Ryan Moore, he has won at Chester and at the Curragh, both over longer distances. The Eclipse's mile and a quarter is shorter than anything he has won over, but his Chester Vase form suggested genuine pace alongside his stamina.
Against him, horses like Ombudsman — who retained his Prince of Wales's Stakes title at Royal Ascot at 5/4 — represent the established older-horse Group 1 benchmark.
How to Bet the Eclipse
The Eclipse tends to have a clear favourite but rarely a certainty. Each-way betting at 5/1 or bigger makes sense in an Eclipse field where the margins are likely to be tight. If the race shapes up as a two-horse match at short prices, wait and see whether a third runner is underpriced.
Free Eclipse Selection Tomorrow at 11am
Horse Racing Oracle AI will publish its Eclipse Stakes selection at 11am tomorrow — Saturday July 5 — at horseracingoracleai.com. Published before the Sandown market opens, free to access, with the full reasoning behind the pick.
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