News

Coral-Eclipse 2025: Analysis and preview

by
Callum Close
1 July 2025

Sandown Park will host its feature flat-meeting of the season this weekend, as the 2025 Coral-Eclipse meeting gets underway.

Two days of prestigious racing in the surrey sunshine, are highlighted by the running of six class one contests – including the Group One Coral-Eclipse race.

It is the middle race of seven on day two of the meeting, awarding prize money totalling £1million.

A mile and two furlongs, between the starting gates and the winning post, await challengers looking to win one of British racing’s most decorated races.

This year’s renewal will see leading-Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien look to go for a hat-trick of consecutive wins in the race.

He is the Eclipse’s leading trainer and will arrive off the back a season in which he has trained a Derby-double, as well a clean sweep of victories in feature events at Chester, Epsom and The Curragh.

French Derby winner Camille Pissarro, due to have his first run in Britain since September, spearheads a three-pronged Ballydoyle trio of runners in this year’s race.

He ended last season with a French Group One victory and placed twice this season, before his Derby victory on his first step up to this trip.

Aidan O’Brien

After that race, O’Brien said: “I’m delighted for everybody and Ryan (Moore) gave him an incredible ride.

“He’s very exciting and he’s a Group One winner at two and now he’s a French Derby winner and we all know how important they are.”

At 9/2, he represents O’Brien’s best chance at claiming a ninth Eclipse Stakes victory according to the market.

His other challengers are multiple Group Three winner Delacroix (15/2) and last year’s Dewhurst second Expanded – though he is 40/1 having been comfortably beaten in two runs this season.

However, at the top of the market is Ombudsman, who is the 5/4 favourite to win trainer John Gosden his fifth Eclipse Stakes – his first since combining with his son Thady.

The Godolphin-owned colt enjoyed an unbeaten campaign last year, culminating in a French Group Three win, and has only suffered defeat once in his career – on reappearance at this course – finishing second to the reopposing Almaqam, in March.

Other Runners

Almaqam is currently priced at 10/1, which could be a shrewd punt as – in his latest run – Ombudsman claimed victory in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot.

It was a race in which he downed O’Brien’s Tattersalls Gold Cup winner Los Angeles and Champion Stakes winner Anmaat – who will reoppose in this race and is currently a 10/1 shot.

“We’re looking at the Eclipse with Ombudsman and he’s come out of Ascot in good shape”, said Gosden after that Ascot race.

“He’s only had two races this season so has had a relatively light campaign. It looks a deep race with an interesting runner from France [Sosie] coming over.”

Gosden has also confirmed that Ombudsman will retain his partnership with jockey William Buick, who rode him to victory at Ascot, despite Charlie Appleby’s 2000 Guineas winner Ruling Court also expected to line-up here.

Sosie is the second favourite – trading at 7/2 – and is set for his first run outside of France, where he is a three-time Group One winner.

He is undefeated in his two runs this season and represents trainer Andre Fabre, who is looking to become the second French trainer to win the race since 1959.

Others in the running include the Epsom Derby-fifth Stanhope Gardens (20/1) and Hotazhell – who reappeared with a third-placed effort behind Field Of Gold in the Irish 2000 Guineas.

Due for his second run of the season, 25/1 could prove to be a huge price for a horse that has won four of his seven races, including a Group One race on his final run last season, in which he beat Delacroix.