Coral-Eclipse: 20 great winners

Some of racing's most celebrated horses have won the Coral-Eclipse, the summer showpiece at Sandown where the Classic generation and older horses so often clash for the first time.

But which have been the been the most outstanding renewals, and who have been the greatest winners?

Below, we've picked out 20 fabulous winners of the ten furlong-feature going back to 1971.

Meanwhile, the race sponsors are attempting to determine the ultimate renewal of the race in the past five decades, with the help of their members, Rishi Persad, Simon Crisford and Johnny Murtagh. Enjoy their views below.

Age: 3. Trainer: Ian Balding. Jockey: Geoff Lewis. SP: 5-4 fav.

Mill Reef's breeder-owner Paul Mellon named the colt after a luxurious club in Antigua, and this was a day when the diminutive bay provided him with another memorable day in the sun. 

Two pacemakers were in the field and they teed things up for the Derby hero, who surged clear in the final 150 yards to beat French raider Caro by a long-looking four lengths.  

The legendary John Oaksey summed things up afterwards when he said: “Mill Reef doesn’t just beat the Frenchman, he murders him, leaves him standing. What a tremendous performance.” 

Mill Reef followed up by six lengths in the King George and won the Arc by three lengths in a record time.

Age: 4. Trainer: Dick Hern. Jockey: Joe Mercer. SP: 4-11.

The mighty colt famously won 17 of his 18 races and took the Eclipse in his final season as a four-year-old, despite connections contemplating withdrawing him because of the bottomless going. Only 27 runners ran on the whole card.

He was allowed to take part, though, and slogged through the testing conditions to take the spoils from five rivals, to the delight of those who ignored him drifting in the betting to 4-11, after he had been 1-10 the previous day.

Gold Rod and Home Guard chased him home in the slowest edition of the race there has been. It was a rare day when this equine goliath won ugly.

Age: 4. Trainer: Clive Brittain. Jockey: Steve Cauthen. SP: 7-2.

Pebbles became the first of her sex to win the race since its inception in 1886, and later in the year she would again rewrite the record books by becoming the first British-trained winner at the Breeders’ Cup.

The delicate but dynamic filly was not extended to beat Rainbow Quest by two lengths after August, a pacemaker for the latter, had set an even tempo. Bob Back, who had edged out Pebbles in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot the previous month (she was later found to be in season) was back in third.

Rainbow Quest had won the Coronation Cup at Epsom with consummate ease the previous month and would win the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe that autumn.

Age: 3. Trainer: Guy Harwood. Jockey: Greville Starkey. SP: 4-9 fav.

The outstanding colt’s agonising defeat in the Derby the previous month, which came after glory in the 2000 Guineas, was briefly forgotten as he breezed to a superb wide-margin win over Triptych and Teleprompter.

Having been settled in midfield, Dancing Brave showed fantastic acceleration from two furlongs from home to leave class opposition reeling. Triptych, the gallant French mare whose 18 career wins included nine at the highest level, was made to look positively pedestrian.

There was no doubting Dancing Brave’s brilliance by the end of the year as he went on to also land the King George and Arc.

Age: 4.  Trainer: Alec Stewart. Jockey: Michael Roberts. SP: 6-1. 

Mtoto is one of only five two-time winners of the Eclipse, with this thrilling defeat of Reference Point, the Derby winner, being the pick.

The odds-on Reference Point set a fierce pace, as he had when a runaway winner at Epsom, but Mtoto dug deep to claw him back in a tremendous finish that was blur of yellow silks. The admirable French mare, Tryptych, kept on to be third.

Twelve months later, Mtoto showed similar tenacity to beat Shady Heights by a neck with Tryptych again taking bronze, and Indian Skimmer fourth.

Age: 3. Trainer: Dick Hern. Jockey: Willie Carson. SP: 2-5 fav.

How do you follow a five-length romp in the Derby? Nashwan’s encore was a five-length rout in the Eclipse.

Opening Verse was in the race as a pacemaker for the brilliant Indian Skimmer, but he merely ended up teeing things up for Nashwan, who was making it five wins from five starts.

He brushed aside the front-runner, who to his credit stuck on gamely to claim the runner-up spot at 200-1. That was something of a theme in Nashwan’s career, as Terimon (500-1) had been second to him at Epsom.

Nashwan had begun his campaign with victory in the 2000 Guineas and landed the King George after his Eclipse triumph.

Age: 4. Trainer: Saeed Bin Suroor. Jockey: Walter Swinburn. SP: 7-1. 

Halling is the only horse to have achieved the Eclipse-International double on two occasions. 

He was transferred to Sheikh Mohammed's Godolphin operation in late 1994, having shown himself to be a Group horse in a handicap by previously landing the Cambridgeshire.

Swinburn made all on him for his first Eclipse triumph, 30 years ago, fending off the year younger Singspiel by a neck, with globetrotting Red Bishop three lengths back in third.

Twelve months later, Singspiel repeated the trick and again got home by a neck, this time with Bijou D’Inde chasing him home. 

Age: 5. Trainer: Sir Michael Stoute. Jockey: Mick Kinane. SP: 11-2.

Only five runners faced the starter and most believed Bosra Sham, the 4-7 favourite, was a banker, having beaten Halling in the previous year’s Champion Stakes and won the Prince of Wales’s Stakes by eight lengths on her latest start.

However, Kieren Fallon’s decision to explore a run up the rail three furlongs out backfired and it was Pilsudski who got first run. The globetrotter kept on resolutely to take the spoils from Benny The Dip, who had won the Derby the previous month, with Bosra Sham another short-head back in third.

Pilsudski would go on to land the Irish Champion Stakes, Champion Stakes and Japan Cup later in the season, in addition to being runner-up in the King George and Arc.

Age: 3. Trainer: Saeed Bin Suroor. Jockey: Frankie Dettori. SP: 6-4 fav.  

An Eclipse quite like no other, with Saeed Bin Suroor and Godolphin responsible for the first three home. Blue was certainly the colour in 1998.

Daylami led the trio home, having stalked his front-running stablemate Central Park. It was Faithful Son, the Prince of Wals’s Stakes winner (when Daylami was a close third, conceding 5lb) who ended up dividing them, with the grey winner keeping on stoutly to turn the tables and win by half a length.

The following year, Daylami would scale even greater heights, winning the Coronation Cup, King George, Irish Champion Stakes and Breeders’ Cup Turf.

Age: 3. Trainer: Aidan O’Brien. Jockey: George Duffield. SP: 8-1. 

A tremendously deep field assembled, and we ended up with two races for the price of one. First, Giant’s Causeway mastered Sakhee, the favourite, and having conquered him then had to rally to repel the late thrust of Kalanisi, having been headed.

Giant’s Causeway was known as the “Iron Horse” by the end of the season. The Eclipse was one of nine Group One races he contested that year: he won five and was second in the other four.

He again edged out Kalanisi in the International at York (winning the Sussex Stakes in between) before that horse won the Champion Stakes and Breeders’ Cup Turf. Sakhee won the Arc the following year, while Fantastic Light’s subsequent exploits included a pulsating defeat of Galileo in the 2001 Irish Champion Stakes.

Age: 5. Trainer: Sir Michael Stoute. Jockey: Ryan Moore. SP: 7-1. 

Aidan O’Brien had half of the eight runners but, at this time, he did not have Ryan Moore in his team. And this was a day when Moore made all the difference.

With the ground on the soft side, he made a dart for the stands’ side rail and went solo. It was an inspired move, but not helpful if you happen to be a cameraman.

Notnowcato, only third in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes on his previous start, took the spoils by a length and a half.

Authorized, the easy Derby winner, who started 4-7, had to settle for second, with George Washington the first of O’Brien’s quartet home in third. 

Age: 3. Trainer: John Oxx Jockey: Michael Kinane. SP: 4-7 fav.

Having won the 2000 Guineas and Derby, Sea The Stars was an intended runner in the Irish Derby, only to be ruled out when ground conditions were deemed unsuitable for him.

The Curragh’s loss was Sandown’s gain, as a week later the brilliant colt graced the Eclipse and showed all his class and grit to beat Rip Van Winkle by a length in a record time. The 125-rated Conduit was well adrift in third.

Sea The Stars would go on to cap a flawless campaign with further big-race wins in the Juddmonte International, Irish Champion Stakes and Arc.

Age: 4. Trainer: Aidan O’Brien. Jockey: Seamie Heffernan. SP: 4-6 fav.

The 2011 Eclipse was all about So You Think v Workforce. They dominated the betting and dominated the race, serving up a treat.

Turning for home, Workforce led under Ryan Moore, with So You Think, tongue lolling out, in his slipstream. Moore went through the gears and two out it looked like Workforce, the previous year’s Derby and Arc winner, had the favourite’s measure. A furlong out, ditto. He was still about a length and a half ahead and was not stopping.

But then So You Think suddenly clicked into turbo and started clawing him back. He won by half a length, but not before giving his supporters a big fright. The pair pulled five lengths clear of Sri Puta, with Snow Fairy a distant fourth.

So You Think, whose career had begun in Australia, would win three more Group One races before injury cut short his career the following summer.

Age: 5. Trainer: Roger Charlton. Jockey: James Doyle. SP: 15-8 fav. 

Al Kazeem was completing a fantastic quickfire Group One treble, having won the Tattersalls Gold Cup and Prince of Wales’s Stakes in the weeks beforehand.

He had beaten Mukhadram by a neck at Royal Ascot the previous month and the pair were locked together in the closing stages before Al Kazeem shook him off with a furlong to run.

Declaration Of War, trained by Aidan O’Brien, threw down a late challenge but was still two lengths adrift at the line. The winner helped catapult his jockey into the big time. 

Age: 3. Trainer: John Gosden. Jockey: Frankie Dettori. SP: 4-9 fav.

The Eclipse of ten years ago was billed as a match between Golden Horn, the Derby winner, and the year older The Grey Gatsby, who had been an unlucky loser of the Prince of Wales’s Stakes on his previous start, having lowered the colours of another Derby winner, Australia, in the previous season’s Irish Champion Stakes.

A proper tussle never materialised with Dettori making all on Golden Horn and winning by three-and-a-half lengths from his big rival, with Western Hymn and Cougar Mountain well adrift. Golden Horn would go on to land the Irish Champion Stakes and Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

Age: 3. Trainer: Sir Michael Stoute. Jockey: Jim Crowley. SP: 8-1. 

This was an Eclipse that had everything, including a lengthy photo-finish that revealed Ulysses had prevailed by a nose from Barney Roy. 

The champion jockey, Jim Crowley, was having the last laugh as he had been dumped by connections of Eminent at the start of the week. That horse, meanwhile, finished fifth after trying to bite a rival. 

Three riders found themselves in trouble with the stewards and Stoute was fined £1,000 because Ulysses entered the parade ring late. The winner was subsequently second in the King George, winner of the International, and third in the Arc.

Age: 5. Trainer: John Gosden. Jockey: Frankie Dettori. SP: 4-6 fav. 

Last, but surely not least. Enable won 15 of her 19 races, with 11 of them coming at the highest level. 

The two-time Arc winner was imperious on this day, tracking the leader, Hunting Horn, before hitting the front two out. The outcome was never in doubt after that, for all that Magical, another high-class filly, got to within three quarters of a length of her. 

Enable followed up with a second King George win (she would win it for a third time in 2020) but a third Arc triumph eluded her.

Age: 5. Trainer: Charlie Appleby. Jockey: William Buick. SP: 9-4.

Ghaiyyath ended 2020 rated the world’s top racehorse, with his Eclipse triumph, played out in front of empty stands because of the pandemic, being a contributing factor.

Buick quickly sent him to the front and the pair never looked like being caught, with the brilliant mare, Enable, defending her crown, fended off by just over two lengths.

Japan and Magic Wand, representing Aidan O’Brien, were the next pair home, with Japanese challenger Deirdre fifth. 

Age: 3. Trainer: Jean-Claude Rouget. Jockey: Christophe Soumillon SP: 11-4. 

Became the first French-trained winner of the Eclipse since 1960 in an edition that had a bit of everything.

None of the six runners had an official rating lower than 118 (five were rated 120-plus) and Vadeni swept from last to first to master Mishriff by a neck, with Native Trail another head back in third. Lord North and Bay Bridge were the next pair home.

The drama was not over, with Soumillon punished for careless riding in the moments after the race had finished as he celebrated victory. 

Age: 3. Trainer: Aidan O’Brien. Jockey: Ryan Moore. SP: 1-4 fav.

City Of Troy made heavy weather of landing cramped odds, but the Derby winner was probably not at home on the prevailing soft ground.

Aidan O’Brien said afterwards: “City Of Troy is a beautiful, good-ground horse and a real fast-ground mover so he's won today despite the ground.” 

The colt confirmed that when winning the Juddmonte International in a record time on fast going at York on his next start.