The Gurkha: impressive French Classic winner is heading to Sandown
PICTURE: ScoopDyga
O’Brien gives The Gurkha Eclipse go-ahead
THE GURKHA will be declared on Thursday morning for Saturday’s Group 1 Coral-Eclipse with trainer Aidan O’Brien confirming his intention to run the French 2,000 Guineas winner and St James’s Palace Stakes runner-up against his elders.
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Already the general 11-10 favourite for the 1m2f contest,The Gurkha had the barrier of testing conditions potentially threatening a trip to Sandown but, with the ground drying out, O’Brien stated his intention to run.
The decision prompted Ladbrokes to cut The Gurkha to 10-11 (from 11-10) for victory, with other firms making him even money favourite.
He said: “The plan is to declare The Gurkha in the morning and to run him in the Eclipse as long as the ground continues to go the right way.”
Second to Galileo Gold at Royal Ascot, The Gurkha looks set to lock horns with Prince of Wales’s Stakes hero My Dream Boat and Brigadier Gerard Stakes victor Time Test, who missed Ascot due to soft ground.
The going at Sandown was described as “no slower” than good to soft on the round course on Wednesday, with clerk of the course Andrew Cooper adding: “I would think it would be on the slow side of good on Saturday, possibly good, good to soft in places.”
Betting moves
The prospect of better ground for Time Test resulted in his price for Saturday’s race being clipped to 4-1 (from 9-2) with sponsors Coral while My Dream Boat was eased to 100-30 (from 3) by Ladbrokes.
Hawkbill also came in for support with Paddy Power having been supplemented on Monday for the race. He is 6-1 (from 7) to give Godolphin a first win in the race since Refuse To Bend.
Hawkbill has been supported into a general 7-1 for Sandown feature
PICTURE: Getty Images
Eclipse test should suit Hawkbill – Appleby
HAWKBILL, supplemented for Saturday’s Coral-Eclipse at a cost of £30,000, is likely to get his optimum conditions as he tackles Group 1 company for the first time.
RELATED LINKS, Sandown card and betting
Godolphin’s progressive three-year-old, who has won his last five starts including the Group 3 Tercentenary Stakes at Royal Ascot last time, has been supported into a general 7-1 for Sandown’s flagship race after appearing in an 11-strong declaration on Monday.
“We’re very happy with the way he has come out of Royal Ascot and the more racing experience he gets the more he’s maturing,” said trainer Charlie Appleby on At The Races.
“In time stepping up in trip will see more improvement but he’ll like conditions as he’s proven on soft ground and is a forward going horse so the track will suit as well.
“We’re taking on the older horses and high-class three-year-olds butHawkbill won’t be out of place in the line-up.”
Jockey Club Stakes winner Exosphere will miss the Eclipse, with connections opting to wait for Group 2 Princess of Wales’s Stakes at Newmarket next week.
The ground at Sandown is set to be on the slow side but the track escaped the heavier rain in the south-east on Tuesday evening with the round course remaining good to soft on Wednesday morning.
‘Improving picture’ at Sandown
Clerk of the course Andrew Cooper said: “We had been told to expect 10-20mm of rain through the week with 5-10mm on Tuesday, but in the end we only got 3mm from 5pm Tuesday and it didn’t really have a great impact after a drying day.
“It’s been largely dry since last Friday and it is an improving picture, and on the round course it is no slower than good to soft and bits of it on the far side you would say were good in places and that would be the next step.
“I would think it would be on the slow side of good on Saturday, possibly good, good to soft in places.”
Sandown SAT 2 JUL 2016
GOING: Sprint course – SOFT; Round course – GOOD TO SOFT (GoingStick: Sprint 5.3, Round 6.8). (Sunny intervals)
STALLS: Sprint course – Far side; Remainder – Inside
1:25 |
CORAL.CO.UK HANDICAP (CLASS 3) (3yo 0-90) 23 runners 7f16y Good To Soft RUK Race Conditions: £12,000 guaranteed For 3yo Rated 71-90 (also open to such horses rated 70 and below)Weights highest weight 9st 7lb Minimum weight 8-2 Penalties after June 25th, each race won 6lbMonteverdi’s Handicap Mark 90 Entries 23 pay £ 60 |
2:00 |
CORAL CHARGE (REGISTERED AS THE SPRINT STAKES) (GROUP 3) (CLASS 1) (3yo+) 21 runners 5f6y Soft CH4 Race Conditions: £65,000 guaranteed For 3yo+ Weights 3yo colts & geldings 8st 12lb; fillies 8st 9lb; 4yo+ colts & geldings 9st 3lb; fillies 9st Penalties after October 31st, 2015, a winner of a Group 3 race 4lb; of a Group 2 race 6lb; of a Group 1 race 8lb Entries 21 pay £ 650 |
2:35 |
CORAL CHALLENGE (HANDICAP) (CLASS 2) (3yo+) 25 runners 1m14y Good To Soft CH4 Race Conditions: £70,000 guaranteed For 3yo+ Weights highest weight not less than 9st 10lb See Note belowMinimum weight 8-0 Penalties after June 25th, each race won 6lb NOTE: Any horse rated above 110 (or 119 if such a horse is 3yo) shall initially be treated as having that rating and the highest weight allotted shall be 9st 10lb Subsequently, the excess over 110 (or 119 if such a horse is 3yo) in any rating shall be added to the weight allotted to that horse without limitation to the highest weight to be carried Battle Of Marathon’s Handicap Mark 110 Entries 25 pay £ 350 |
Long Handicap: Whitman 7-13, Ode To Evening 7-12, King’s Pavilion 7-12, Fire Ship 7-11, Montsarrat 7-9, Boots And Spurs 7-8
3:10 |
CORAL DISTAFF (LISTED RACE) (FILLIES) (CLASS 1) (3yo) 15 runners 1m14y Good To SoftCH4 Race Conditions: £37,000 guaranteed For 3yo fillies which have not won a Group 1 Pattern race Weights 9stPenalties a winner of a Listed race 3lb; of a Group 3 race 6lb; of a Group 2 race 9lb Entries 15 pay £ 185 |
3:45 |
CORAL-ECLIPSE (BRITISH CHAMPIONS SERIES) (GROUP 1) (CLASS 1) (3yo+) 63 runners1m2f7y Good To Soft CH4 Race Conditions: £525,000 guaranteed For 3yo+ Weights 3yo colts & geldings 8st 10lb; fillies 8st 7lb; 4yo+ colts & geldings 9st 7lb; fillies 9st 4lb Entries 63 pay £ 1500 Confirmed 11 |
4:20 |
CORAL MARATHON (REGISTERED AS THE ESHER STAKES) (LISTED RACE) (CLASS 1) (4yo+) 20 runners 2m78y Good To Soft RUK Race Conditions: £37,000 guaranteed For 4yo+ Weights colts & geldings 9st; fillies 8st 9lb Penalties after October 31st, 2015, a winner of a Listed race 3lb; of a Group 3 race 5lb; of a Group 2 race 7lb; of a Group 1 race 9lb Entries 20 pay £ 185 |
4:55 |
DOWNLOAD THE CORAL APP HANDICAP (CLASS 4) (3yo 0-85) 26 runners 1m2f7y Good To SoftRUK Race Conditions: £10,000 guaranteed For 3yo Rated 66-85 (also open to such horses rated 65 and below)Weights highest weight 9st 7lb Minimum weight 8-2 Penalties after June 25th, each race won 6lb Zzoro’s Handicap Mark 85 Entries 26 pay £ 50 |