Investec Derby (Eng-I) winner Golden Horn will take on a small but talented field of older horses in the Coral-Eclipse Stakes (Eng-I) on July 4th at Sandown racecourse in England.
The unbeaten John Gosden-trainee drew post position one in a field of five, and given the weight-for-age conditions of the race, he will get to carry just 122 pounds, 11 less than his older rivals. Coming off of a decisive 3 1/2-length win in the Derby over Jack Hobbs, who returned to win the Irish Derby (Ire-I) last week, Golden Horn is heavily favored to win the ten-furlong Eclipse and should prove difficult to beat.
His strongest opposition will likely come from The Grey Gatsby, a four-year-old son of Mastercraftsman that most recently finished second by a head after a troubled trip in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes (Eng-I) at Royal Ascot. Winner of the prestigious Irish Champion Stakes (Ire-I) last year, The Grey Gatsby has been beaten in all three of his starts this season, but has run well on each occasion and should relish the ten-furlong distance of the Eclipse.
Rounding out the field are Western Hymn, third in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes; Cougar Mountain, third in the Queen Anne Stakes (Eng-I) at Royal Ascot; and Tullius, who won the Doncaster Mile Stakes earlier this year.
Coral-Eclipse Stakes (Eng-I)
PP/Horse/Jockey/Trainer
1 Golden Horn, Frankie Dettori, John Gosden
2 The Grey Gatsby, Jamie Spencer, Kevin Ryan
3 Western Hymn, James Doyle, John Gosden
4 Cougar Mountain, Ryan Moore, Aidan O’Brien
5 Tullius, Oisin Murphy, Andrew Balding
