The 2025 flat season continues with the return of one of Britain’s most hotly-anticipated race meetings – Coral-Eclipse weekend.
Won by greats such as Golden Horn, Roaring Lion and Enable, the Eclipse Stakes is the highlight of what is Sandown Park’s premier flat meeting of the season.
Two, action-packed days will see the running of 14 races – including six Class Ones – with the festival’s namesake running on the second day.
The festival kicks off a month that promises to deliver top-quality racing action, with Newmarket, Ascot, York and Goodwood hosting feature racedays later in July.
It will welcome the battle of elite horses and trainers, hailing from yards across the British isles and Europe, just two weeks on from Royal Ascot.
Here is everything that you need to know, as the racing world turns their attention to Surrey.
When is the 2025 Coral-Eclipse meeting?
This year’s meeting will get underway on Friday, July 4, with Day One of the meeting known as ‘Ladies Day‘.
The Debenhams Amateur Jockey Handicap Stakes will ‘raise the curtain’ on a seven-race card – featuring three Listed contests – and it begins at 1:50pm.
Day Two will commence with the running of The (Group Three) Coral Charge, due off at 1:50pm.
It serves as a fitting appetiser for a seven-race card featuring the Coral Distaff – a Listed race – as well as the festival’s highlight, the (Group One) Coral-Eclipse Stakes, worth one million pounds in prize money.
The former is the third race on the card and due off at 3pm, it precedes the latter – due off at 3:35pm.
Trainers to watch
Leading-Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien made amends for a Royal Ascot that saw his yard go without a Group One winner, when Lambourn completed a derby-double at The Curragh, on Sunday.
The Coolmore-Colt fended off a stern challenge from stablemate Serious Contender, to win the Irish Derby, adding to his earlier wins in the Chester Vase and Epsom Derby.
O’Brien will be sure to fancy his chances at a meeting where he has taken the last two runnings of the feature event – of which he holds the record number of wins (eight).
He currently leads the Irish trainer Championship by a landslide, but trails father and son combination John/Thady Gosden in the British standings by around £100,000 – albeit having just fewer than 200 less runners.
The Gosdens have enjoyed a season to remember, taking victory in the Lockinge Stakes, Irish 2000 Guineas, as well as three Group Ones at Royal Ascot.
The Coral-Eclispe is likely to stage the clash of Royal Ascot winners and Classic winners, with both O’Brien and Gosden represented in the showpiece, as well as other races across the meeting.
Andrew Balding will arrive fresh off the back of claiming his first Northumberland Plate, after Spirit Mixer sprung a 25/1 surprise in Newcastle’s highlight race.
It was part of a weekend that saw his Champion filly Kalpana finish second to O’Brien’s Epsom Derby-second Whirl, in the Pretty Polly Stakes at Curragh.
He is third in the British standings whilst Charlie Appleby is fourth.
Appleby suffered at Royal Ascot by having to wait until the final day to see a winner from his yard and will arrive here hoping to add to his two British Classic victories so far this season.
Jockeys to watch
Englishman Ryan Moore steered home Whirl and Lambourn at the weekend, which added to his plethora of O’Brien-trained winners.
The former made it 150 Group One winners when the pair combine – including the last two Coral-Eclipse’s.
Despite sitting fifth in the Irish jockey Championship, Moore has taken home over one million euros more than anyone else in prize money.
He has had exactly 200 fewer rides than table-topper Colin Keane, but trails him by only 16 winners.
Keane himself has enjoyed a season that has seen him take on the role as prestigious owner-group Juddmonte’s first choice jockey.
The Irishman picked up wins in the Lockinge Stakes and the Irish 2000 Guineas, as well as the St James’ Palace Stakes – the latter two on Gosden’s stable-star Field Of Gold.
Should he make the journey over the Irish Sea, he is certainly one to watch.
Other jockeys include Godolphin’s first choice jockey William Buick, who has ridden a Guineas-double as well as two, Ascot, Group Ones so far this season.
He is second in the British Jockey Championship standings, trailing four-time Champion Oisin Murphy – who, on the same day he rode two Royal Ascot winners, saw himself charged with drink driving.
2023/24 all-weather Champion Jockey Rossa Ryan completes the top three in the British Championship standings, with Hector Crouch third.
Though not prominent in the standings, James Doyle is worthy of a mention given his position as lead jockey for Wathnan Racing.
How to watch the Coral-Eclipse meeting on TV?
ITV will screen the Eclipse Stakes and three other races from Sandown, as well as three races from Haydock on Saturday.
For fans looking to see all the action from both days, Racing TV will screen every race live for subscribers.
By Callum Close
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