Architect Tips assesses the runners and latest betting odds through oddschecker for the Coral Eclipse 2023 at Sandown Park.
Coral Eclipse 2023
Sandown’s most valuable Flat-race, the Group 1 Coral-Eclipse, will headline next weekend’s racing on Saturday and even though a few of the current entries are likely to go elsewhere, we are still in for a treat of a race.
When is the Coral Eclipse? Sandown Date & Start Time
The Coral Eclipse 2023 is set to take place at Sandown Park on Saturday 8th July at 15:40.
2023 Coral Eclipse Betting Odds | Ante-Post Odds
| Horse | Best Price | Worst Price |
|---|---|---|
| Emily Upjohn | 11/8 | 4/5 |
| Paddington | 7/2 | 9/4 |
| Anmaat | 6/1 | 9/2 |
| Bay Bridge | 12/1 | 8/1 |
| Desert Crown | 14/1 | 10/1 |
2023 Coral Eclipse Runners
A total of 30 horses hold entries for the Coral Eclipse 2023 ahead of confirmations and final declarations. Let’s have a look at the leading Coral Eclipse runners:
Emily Upjohn seeking third straight Group 1
Impressive Coronation Stakes winner Emily Upjohn heads the market for the Coral Eclipse 2023 at a general 11/8 and should she repeat that performance, she should take all of the beating. That was her second success at the highest level and even returned a nine-and-a-half length winner of her only previous visit to this course as well.
Unfortunately, Frankie Dettori won’t be able to ride her this time, who failed to overturn a nine-day careless riding ban. It’s highly likely Rab Havlin will now get the ride, who’s not ridden her since winning on debut. This daughter of Sea The Stars has a great chance of giving him a Group 1 success.
An unlucky second in last year’s Oaks, she has won her last two starts in the manner of filly at the top of her game, in which she landed the Qipco British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes back in October and then made a triumphant reappearance on her return to Epsom last time, where she avenged her agonising defeat at the Surrey venue last year.
A couple of her main market rivals failed to fire, including Hurricane Lane who was a blowout, but take nothing away from the winner, who travelled like a dream and displayed her trademark burst of speed to quicken clear from the previous year’s Epsom Derby second, Westover. That was without question a defining and career-best performance.
Even with Frankie not riding, she remains the heavy favourite according to the latest Coral Eclipse betting odds and while John and Thady Gosden’s mare will be dropping in trip, they are hopeful her turn of foot will prove to be a deciding factor.
The Gosdens have previously won the race with Nathaniel (2012), Golden Horn (2015), Roaring Lion (2018) and Enable (2019) and this mare has every chance of adding her name to the list.
Will Paddington run?
Over the past week, Paddington has received some rather interesting support for the race despite connections suggesting the Qatar Sussex Stakes would be his next target.
As of yet, nothing has been confirmed but should he line up here, he will be fancied by his fan base to give the favourite a few problems. I was impressed with the way he dispatched Chaldean in the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot.
He has been backed into 7/2 second favourite (as short as 2/1 in places) among the Coral Eclipse runners but I would rather wait until full confirmation has been made about whether he lines up here or not as fingers will be burnt in the ante-post category if he doesn’t run and you back him in advance before final declarations. If he does feature in the final field, he is sure to run another big race and this course should play to his strengths.
Anmaat a cracking each-way bet
A horse I have a lot of time for is the progressive Anmaat, who won the Group 1 Prix d’Ispahan at Longchamp last time out and has yet to finish out of the frame in all career starts, with figures reading 213211211121. He clearly raised his game after his eye-catching return behind Adayar at Newmarket when giving the Derby winner five pounds to claim his big-race victory in France last month and has been aimed at this race since.
The form has been upheld since, with the second finishing third in the Queen Anne at Royal Ascot and in my honest assessment, this five-year-old is the rock-solid each-way play at the odds. He handles all ground, has a turn of foot, plenty of pace and probably has even more to come. Owen Burrows’ charge can be backed at a general 6/1, which is a fair price for a horse who’s always performed and is more than likely to do so here.
Hold fire with Desert Crown
The 2022 Derby hero Desert Crown has reportedly been given the all-clear to race again after a minor setback prevented him from running in the Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot. However, he’s another who’s not been confirmed for this race just yet, as he also holds an entry in both the Qipco-sponsored King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes and the Juddmonte International.
He ran very well on his return behind Hukum, where he travelled best and looked the likeliest winner before fitness told in the closing stages when he was headed near the line. I think he has a huge price for a horse who’s got buckets of class but I do fear he will be pulled from the entries.
After all, he cost us a small fortune when I put him up as an ante-post tip for Royal Ascot before he was scratched late. If he runs, expect his price to drop, but at the moment, I just want to hold fire before putting all my eggs in one basket again with him. It’s too risky to do right now.
Bay Bridge needs to bounce back
It might be the case that stablemate Bay Bridge runs here instead of him but the latter wouldn’t be for me on this occasion, as he threw in a mediocre performance when only fourth in the Prince Of Wales’s at Royal Ascot and needs to bounce back, which won’t be easy in such a difficult race. He was a well beaten fifth in this last year, too.
Even though he was well beaten, he does deserve some respect given he is a Group 1 winner and won a vintage renewal of the Champion Stakes last year and had previously thrashed Mostahdaf by five lengths over course-and-distance last May. On that form, he has a chance but he was disappointing last time and needs a quick turnaround.
2023 Coral Eclipse Tips | Ante-Post Tips
This race in particular has been won by some of the best horses over the years and I am intrigued by the presence of one horse who is pretty much guaranteed to run, ANMAAT (best price 6/1), who keeps getting better and better with every start and was last seen showing a tough attitude to see off a quality field in a Group 1 in France.
The Owen Burrows-trained five-year-old should have plenty more in the locker and he’s not finished improving yet. This will be his biggest test to date but there are very few chinks in his armour, if any, and I am quite optimistic about him rising to the challenge again and making a serious impact. Whether he wins or not, he has a cracking each-way chance and must be backed.
