Coral Eclipse 2025: A Comprehensive Runner-By-Runner Guide
The Coral Eclipse, a quality-laden clash of the generations, takes place at Sandown Park this Saturday.
Will William Buick and Ombudsman confirm the form worth of their visually impressive Royal Ascot victory. © Getty Images
Key Facts:
- Brilliant Prince of Wales’s Stakes winner tops betting for Saturday’s Eclipse Stakes.
- Three-year-olds have dominated the Group 1 contest in recent years.
- The l’Arc de Triomphe favourite is amongst the star-studded Eclipse line-up.
- Our runner-by-runner underlines no horse can be ruled out.
Ombudsman, widely described as a brilliant winner of the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot, tops the betting for Saturday’s Eclipse Stakes at Sandown Park. The Coral sponsored Group-1 contest is traditionally considered the season’s first clash of the generations.
‘Classic generation’ three-year-olds receive a hefty 10-pound weight concession from older horses in this 10-furlong contest. Nevertheless, it is four-year-olds Ombudsman and Sosie who online betting sites believe are the most likely winners of the 139-year-old contest.
With younger horses prevailing seven times since 2015 – including the last four winners – the bookmaker’s viewpoint could be described as ‘surprising’. Three-year-olds in the Eclipse field include 2000 Guineas winner Ruling Court and French Derby winner Camille Pissarro.
Coral Eclipse Stakes Runner Guide
In price order, here is our runner-by-runner guide to Saturday’s 3.35 pm contest that is worth over £500,000 to the winner.
Ombudsman: Unraced at two and four-from-four as a three-year-old last term, Ombudsman began 2025 with a second-placed effort (behind Almaqam) in a Sandown Group-3. Most recently, he appeared awesome when he landed the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Interestingly, that contest was run at a frantic pace, and he was held up in the rear during the early stages. While visually impressive, the form worth of his victory could be deceptive as the favourite did too much running early on and tamely faded away.
OMBUDSMAN powers home to run out an emphatic winner of the Prince of Wales’s Stakes, under @WilliamBuickX 🔵
Team @godolphin are up and running at Royal Ascot 2025 – and in some style too! 👌
— Sporting Life Racing (@SportingLife) June 18, 2025
Ombudsman has an improving profile, and his trainer has won this contest four times since 2012. But, in a high-class field (far better than the Prince of Wales’ Stakes line-up), his 5/4 odds are unattractive.
French Ace Seeking Fourth Group-1 Success
Sosie: This French-trained three-time Group-1 winner is such a class act that he started favourite for last season’s 16-runner 12-furlong l’Arc de Triomphe. On the day, he was beaten into fourth on very soft ground.
However, 10 furlongs could be Sosie’s ideal trip (despite him being the ante-post favourite for the 2025 l’Arc) and Saturday’s forecast good ground might also be perfect. Two-from-two this season (both Group-1s), he is trained by Andre Fabre, who does not travel overseas unless he expects a big performance. In short, there is plenty to like.
Camille Pissarro: Loads of mileage – resulting in two wins from seven starts – as a juvenile suggests his trainer, Aidan O’Brien, never had this one labelled as a ‘great’. However, after two defeats in early 2025, he won the French Derby on June 1.
A length-and-a-half covered the first six home there, and Ryan Moore gave him an exceptional ride, meaning the form may not be outstanding. Nevertheless, Aidan O’Brien has won this race eight times (six winners were aged three), so Camille Pissarro is difficult to ignore.
Can You Forgive Derby Favourite Flop?
Delacroix: This three-year-old is O’Brien’s second string – according to online bookmakers. However, if forgiving his no-show in the 2025 Epsom Derby (where he started 2/1 favourite), this son of Dubawi must come into calculations. He competed with the best last season and won two strong Derby trials this spring.
Almaqam: Achieved fair form in Group races aged two and three and got his nose in front in Sandown’s Group 3 Brigadier Gerard Stakes when last seen in action (late May). That may not have been considered earth-shattering form at the time. But, with the runner-up being Ombudsman, punters need to look twice at this 12/1 shot.
🥊 Almaqam vs Ombudsman!
Classy performance from Almaqam to land the G3 Brigadier Gerard Stakes @edwalkerracing | @oismurphy | @Sandownpark | @StarSports_Bet pic.twitter.com/4IZPZgd8xq
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) May 29, 2025
Anmaat: A 15-race career has yielded eight wins, five seconds and a third for this seven-year-old (the oldest runner in the field). He finished second to Ombudsman in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes when last in action.
Beaten two lengths in the Ascot race, Anmaat was, like the winner, also held up in the rear during the early part of the contest. While it is unlikely he will overturn the form, at 14/1, he looks like an outstanding each-way or place-only bet.
Classic Winner a Remarkable 20/1
Ruling Court: The 2000 Guineas winner was withdrawn from the Derby at the 11th hour and met trouble-in-running when brushed aside in the one-mile St James’s Palace Stakes by an impressive winner.
He had excuses, though (sweating and bumped), and there is a suspicion Saturday’s 10 furlongs will be his ideal trip. 20/1 odds are remarkable, given he is a classic winner.
Stanhope Gardens: His race wins have come at Beverley and in a three-runner contest at Salisbury. However, he showed he was top-class by finishing fifth in the Derby despite the challenge appearing to stretch his stamina.
Stanhope Gardens is a difficult Eclipse runner to assess. Official ratings suggest he will do well to get involved, but under an enterprising ride, we would not be surprised if he does.
White Birch: This Irish runner, third in the 2023 Epsom Derby, had an outstanding 2024, winning a Group 3, Group 2 and then Group 1 (from his only three outings). He has been luckless in two Irish starts in 2025. And, rated 121, he could easily outrun his dismissive 20/1 odds.
2000 Guineas Form Put to Test
Hotazhell: Finished his two-year-old season with three wins from four outings, taking a Group 1, 2 and 3. No caste was lost in defeat when finishing third in the Irish 2000 Guineas (his only start of 2025), and although his 33/1 odds may suggest otherwise, it would be no surprise if he produced a huge run.
Expanded: The third Aidan O’Brien horse in the field, Expanded has only raced four times with a best effort of finishing second in a Group-1 as a two-year-old. He started just 5/1 in the 2000 Guineas on his third outing (and seasonal debut) but was a no-show then and in the Irish equivalent three weeks later.
Connections may intend to use him as a pacemaker. However, his trainer made the race for Ombudsman in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes by forcing the pace, and there’s no apparent reason to set fast fractions for his other two runners in this race.
What Is the Best Bet for the Eclipse Stakes?
There is a niggling doubt about the form worth of Ombudsman’s Royal Ascot success. It looked scintillating, but fast-run races where the pacesetters (and those that chase them) fall apart invariably leave that impression.
Unquestionably, there are a lot of very capable horses, winners at the top level, in the field. They are available at double-digit prices, underlining the quality of this year’s Coral Eclipse.
Sosie gets our vote. He is in form, he is a multiple Group-1 winner, his trainer, Andre Fabre, is nothing short of a genius, and he has pinpointed this race. Small-saver bets could be directed at the reliable and consistent Anmaat and White Birch, who deserves a break.
