While many would argue that June is the best month on the flat racing calendar, as it plays host to both the Derby Festival at Epsom Downs Racecourse and the highlight meeting of the year Royal Ascot, there is still a long to go before the season finale British Champions Day in mid-October and there is a lot to look forward to in that time.
Next month is the perfect example, with the Irish Derby and Irish Oaks taking place at the Curragh, the July Festival at Newmarket, King George Weekend at Ascot and the Eclipse at Sandown Park just some of the standout meetings in July.
It’s the latter we are going to focus on in this article. The Eclipse is a Group 1 race that dates back to 1886 and is contested over one mile and two furlongs. It attracts some of the best horses in the UK and Ireland, with the likes of Roaring Lion, St. Mark’s Basilica and Enable some of the recent winners while French raider landed the spoils for Jean-Claude Rouget last year.
This year’s renewal is shaping up to be another classic, so let’s take a look at the early favourites in the horse racing odds.
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Emily Upjohn – 2/1
Source: racingpost.com
The favourite at this stage is John and Thady Gosden’s multiple Group 1 winner Emily Upjohn. The four-year-old was a big part of the father-son trainer duo’s fallout with Frankie Dettori last season, as the Italian was disappointing in the saddle for the Oaks and the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, but the relationship was soon repaired and Dettori steered her to success in the British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes at Ascot in October.
Emily Upjohn returned from a 230-day absence to win the Coronation Stakes over a mile and four furlongs on Ladies’ Day at Epsom at the beginning of June, beating pre-race favourite Westover by just short of two lengths under Dettori. She’s set to drop back in trip for this race, but John Gosden is sure she can handle the shorter distance.
The potentially bad news is that Dettori was slapped with a nine-day ban for careless riding aboard Saga for His Majesty the King in the Wolferton Stakes at Royal Ascot and if he doesn’t win his appeal against that suspension then he will miss his final crack at the Eclipse — which would be a massive shame given how he has performed in the big races this season, notably winning the 2000 Guineas, Oaks and Ascot Gold Cup.
Paddington – 4/1
Source: skysports.com
A horse that will be hugely popular in the market should Aidan O’Brien opt to run him at Sandown, the story of Paddington is very impressive. The three-year-old was a handicap horse at the start of the season, winning one at Naas on reappearance in March. However, he won a Listed contest at the Curragh next time out and that set up for an Irish 2000 Guineas bid in May.
To go from handicapper to Classic champion within the space of two months is an incredible story and Paddington did just that, running on to beat stablemate Cairo by two lengths going away under Ryan Moore. The sky could be the limit for this Ballydoyle runner as he beat British 2000 Guineas winner Chaldean by almost four lengths in the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot most recently.
If master trainer O’Brien confirms that Sandown is the next landing spot for Paddington, you can almost guarantee that he will go off at much shorter odds than the general 4/1 that is readily available at the time of writing.
Adayar – 5/1
Source: godolphin.com
2021 Derby winner Adayar is still going strong at the age of five, which is abnormal for a winner of the world’s most prestigious race as they are usually retired to stud by this stage of their respective careers. But Charlie Appleby and Godolphin clearly have different ideas and why retire him when he can still perform?
Adayar did have a bit of a struggle after winning the Derby and the King George in quick succession two years or so ago, finishing fourth in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and fifth in the Champion Stakes in what was a taxing season. It took him 327 days to return with a win at Doncaster before a much better second back at Champions Day. After another 204 days’ rest, he reappeared for this season with a Group 3 win at Newmarket.
Adayar was the third favourite for the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot earlier this month and more or less ran true to his chances when coming past the post behind shock winner Mostahdaf and pre-race market leader Luxembourg. It’s unclear whether Appleby will look to run him again as soon as the Eclipse, but if that is the route Godolphin opt to go down, then the former Derby winner could be there or thereabouts again.
Bay Bridge – 6/1
Source: skysports.com
Sir Michael Stoute’s Bay Bridge had a fantastic season as a three-year-old in 2021, winning four-straight races — including the Listed James Seymour Stakes at Newmarket on his final appearance of the campaign. He won his first race in group company in the Brigadier Gerard Stakes (Group 3) over course and distance last year before second and fifth-place finishes in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes and Eclipse.
Bay Bridge bounced back with a huge win over Adayar in the Champion Stakes last October, in which 1/4 favourite Baaeed could fare no better than fourth. But he is yet to get off the mark this season, coming home in third in the Prix Ganay at Longchamp in Paris and a close second to Luxembourg in the Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh.
Bay Bridge was particularly disappointing in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes, finishing second last in the field of six despite setting off as the second favourite behind Luxembourg. He was short of room and stumbled at the start of the one-mile, two-furlong affair but managed to get in touch with the leaders two out before ultimately having little more to give and dropping back in the closing stages.
