French Derby hero Constitution River among nine in Eclipse frame

French Derby hero Constitution River is the star name among nine contenders for the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown on Saturday.

The Wootton Bassett colt led home a one-two-three for Aidan O’Brien in the Prix du Jockey Club at Chantilly at the end of May, with stablemates Hawk Mountain and Montreal finishing second and third respectively.

Hawk Mountain is also in the mix for this weekend’s all-aged Group One feature, with O’Brien stating last week that it was “50-50” regarding which colt would line up at the Esher circuit.

The Ballydoyle handler has also left in King Edward VII Stakes winner Causeway and Flushing Meadows.

Donnacha O’Brien is set to saddle the French Derby fourth A Boy Named Susie, while his brother Joseph could be represented by Galen.

The home team is headed by the Owen Burrows-trained Gethin, who was last seen pushing subsequent Prince of Wales’s Stakes scorer Ombudsman close in the Brigadier Gerard at Sandown.

“We are very happy with our fella. James (Doyle) came and sat on him on Saturday and I’ve read reports since about sparkling workout, but it was just a very routine piece of work on the all-weather,” Burrows said on Monday.

“I wouldn’t have been commenting on it as being ‘sparkling’, but James felt he was a little more focussed.

“That was only his sixth run in the Brigadier Gerard and we’re looking forward to Saturday.”

Gethin’s owners Wathnan Racing have also stumped up £50,000 supplementary fee to add Harry Charlton’s King’s Gambit to the field in the likely role as pacemaker.

The five-year-old was second to another Wathnan ace in Damysus in the Earl of Sefton at Newmarket in the spring, but has since finished well beaten in both the Huxley Stakes at Chester and the Wolferton Stakes at Royal Ascot.

The potential line-up is completed by Saddadd, who won Sandown’s Gordon Richards Stakes on his first start of the season for Roger Varian before placing third in the Tattersalls Gold Cup in Ireland.