The Coral-Eclipse is a Group 1, Class 1 contest over 1m 1f 209y (about 10f) for 3yo and upwards, run at Sandown Park on Sunday, July 5, 2026 (00:35 AEST).

This year’s race will see a core of older horses competing against some of the newest generation, which should make for a highly exciting race.

Quick Picks

Our pick: Constitution River to win

Value bet: Each-Way on Gethin

Long shot: Each-Way on Saddadd

Betting Preview

It’s a huge race in the British and Irish racing calendar, with this race providing the winner with a prize pot of £560,200 (AU$1.07 million) from a guaranteed £1 million (AU$1.92 million) purse.

A maximum of 17 horses can participate in this Group 1 race, with many of the top horse trainers likely to have runners. Historically, the race favours horses proven at 10f and able to quicken off a controlled or steadily increasing pace, rather than out-and-out stayers.

This is because Sandown’s configuration and the fairly short run from the bend into the straight often turn the Eclipse into a tactical race rather than a pure stamina test. Front-runners can be hard to pass if they control things into the straight, but a too-strong mid-race move tends to set it up for a stalker sitting third/fourth turning in.

Betting Markets to Watch

Early betting odds for the Coral-Eclipse have Constitution River as the early favourite to win this race. The French horse is trained by Aidan O’Brien, who happens to have an exceptional record in this race, having won nine of them, including the last three.

Constitution River comes here off a strong French Derby (Prix du Jockey Club) win at Chantilly, where he overcame a wide draw and still finished a classy, decisive winner. He completed a Ballydoyle 1-2-3 (Hawk Mountain and Montreal behind) in that race, making him O’Brien’s standout horse.

Gethin has a profile that suits Sandown, and his odds are just slightly longer than Constitution River. He is a progressive 4-year-old trained by Owen Burrows for Wathnan Racing, but he is stepping up into Group 1 company for the first time. Still, he is proven over this distance at Sandown, losing narrowly to Ombudsman in the Brigadier Gerard Stakes only recently, which makes him a legitimate contender.

Our Prediction

Check the latest Coral-Eclipse betting odds at Sportsbet.

Our pick is for Constitution River to be the likely winner, as he has the profile to win this race, along with the backing of Aidan O’Brien and superstar jockey Ryan Moore.

A long shot is another of the O’Brien horses in the field, Hawk Mountain . He finished second at Chantilly and was only beaten by 3/4 of a length by his stablemate. In each of his other recent races, he has been a comfortable winner.

And Saddadd will be popular in the each-way market.

This four-year-old has had a consistent season, with many believing his ceiling has yet to be reached.

Do bear in mind, the last seven winners of this race have started at odds of 3/1 or less.