So You Think (purple) was expected to make his final start in the Eclipse
PICTURE: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos), BY LEWIS PORTEOUS 10:11 AM 5 JUL 2012
LAST YEAR’S hero So You Think has been denied the chance to win Saturday’s Coral-Eclipse for a second time after he was found to be lame in his stable on Thursday morning.
The news broke just moments before a final field of ten were named for the Group 1 contest, with Aidan O’Brien’s Ballydoyle stable tweeting: “So You Think was found to be lame in his stable a short time ago and will not run in the Eclipse on Saturday.”
A brilliant winner of the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot on his last start, Saturday’s race was expected to be So You Think’s final appearance, bringing down the curtain on a career that has yielded ten Group 1 victories in Australia, Britain and Ireland.
In his absence, Farhh, who suffered trouble in in running when third to So You Think at Ascot, has been promoted to favourite at a general 9-4, although Ladbrokes go 5-2.
The race sees the return of last year’s King George winnerNathaniel and Dubai World Cup winner Monterosso.
The John Gosden-trained Nathaniel is next best in the market, with Stan James a best priced 3-1. Cityscape, who has had a short break since returning from an unplaced effort in Hong Kong, is third favourite at a general 11-2.
City Style, Crackerjack King, Sri Putra, Twice Over, Bonfire and Cogito complete the line-up.
So You Think’s injury took the Betfair market by complete surprise according to spokesman Tony Calvin.
He said: “When we suspended the market at 10am for the 48-hour declaration stage, So You Think was 2.08 to back and 2.1 to lay in the win market and 1.3 to back and 1.32 to lay in place market. ”
CORAL-ECLIPSE (BRITISH CHAMPIONS SERIES) (GROUP 1) (CLASS 1) (3yo+) Winner £241,585 CH4
Good 1m2f7y Number of runners: 10
NO. DRAW FORM |
HORSE | AGE | WGT OR |
JOCKEY TRAINER RTF% |
TS | RPR | BEST ODDS | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
13212-10 | CITYSCAPE
62
|
6 |
9-7
125
|
132 | 133 | |||
21121236 | CITY STYLE
17
|
6 |
9-7
116
|
118 | 126 | |||
35101-11 | CRACKERJACK KING
55
|
4 |
9-7
118
|
— | 125 | |||
4101/1-13 | FARHH
17
|
4 |
9-7
118
|
121 | 130 | |||
5813-41 | MONTEROSSO t
98
|
5 |
9-7
127
|
122 | 133 | |||
6412115- | NATHANIEL
266
|
4 |
9-7
126
|
127 | 133 | |||
7997-165 | SRI PUTRA
17
|
6 |
9-7
116
|
122 | 125 | |||
87110-23 | TWICE OVER
70
|
7 |
9-7
119
|
116 | 133 | |||
9613-16 | BONFIRE
35
|
3 |
8-10
115
|
128 | 136 | |||
102118 | COGITO
18
|
3 |
8-10
105
|
112 | 123 | |||