Investec Oaks winner Minding is one of 39 left in the £475,000 Group 1 Coral-Eclipse at Sandown Park on the 2nd July after this week’s scratching stage. Minding, who sealed a Classic double when winning at Epsom last Friday, is joined by a whole host of big names including Qipco 2,000 Guineas winner Galileo Gold and Investec Derby runner-up US Army Ranger. 

As well as Minding and US Army Ranger, Irish Champion trainer Aidan O’Brien has left in the extremely impressive Poule D'Essai Des Poulains (Group 1) winner The Gurkha. The Galileo colt is set to line up in the St James's Palace Stakes over a mile at Royal Ascot but could make a step up in trip to a mile and a quarter following that run. Champion mare and Breeders Cup Turf winner Found is another notable entry for Ballydoyle.

2015’s Champion trainer John Gosden has three horses still engaged, including Wings of Desire, this year’s Dante Stakes winner and Investec Derby fourth, along with Western Hymn and Royal Artillery. 

Investec Derby-winning trainer Dermot Weld will be resting his hopes on Fascinating Rock. The Qipco Champion Stakes winner was last seen when beating Found in the Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh.

France could be represented by the Andre Fabre-trained New Bay and Garlingari for Mme Corine Barande-Barbe. Multiple Group winner New Bay took home last year’s Prix du Jockey Club whilst Garlingari was last seen when finishing second in the Grand Prix De Chantilly (Group 2). 

17 of the 39 remaining entries for this year’s Coral-Eclipse are three-year-olds and the race represents their first opportunity to take on older horses at Group 1 Level.

Andrew Cooper, Head of Racing and Clerk of the Course, Sandown Park Racecourse, said; “We are thrilled with the quality of horses remaining in this year’s Coral-Eclipse. This will be the 41st year that Coral have sponsored the Eclipse, which is a wonderful achievement and we are hugely grateful to them for their long and continued support. The Coral-Eclipse is the pinnacle of Sandown Park’s flat racing calendar and we look forward to another exciting renewal this year.”

Dave Stevens, Head of PR at Coral, said; "It's a typically star-studded entry for our flagship flat racing sponsorship, and the first opportunity for the generations to clash over a longer distance, with the Classic winners Galileo Gold and Minding leading the way for the three-year-olds. It is incredibly close at the top of the market, with four horses, Fascinating Rock, Minding, New Bay and Time Test all sharing 6/1 favouritism.’’

Notes for editors

Horses remaining engaged in the Coral-Eclipse:

New Bay (A Fabre); Air Vice Marshal (A O’Brien); Bravery (A O’Brien); Cougar Mountain (A O’Brien); Deauville (A O’Brien); Found (A O’Brien); Highland Reel (A O’Brien); Idaho (A O’Brien); Long Island Sound (A O’Brien); Minding (A O’Brien); Port Douglas (A O’Brien); Shogun (A O’Brien); The Gurkha (A O’Brien); US Army Ranger (A O’Brien), Blond Me (A Balding); Scottish (C Appleby); Tryster (C Appleby); My Dream Boat (C Cox); Fascinating Rock (D K Weld); Arabian Queen (D Elsworth); Almodovar (D Lanigan); Gershwin (D Lanigan); Mondialiste (D O’Meara); Endless Drama (G M Lyons); Covert Love (H Palmer); Galileo Gold (H Palmer); Royal Artillery (J Gosden); Western Hymn (J Gosden); Wings of Desire (J Gosden); The Grey Gatsby (K Ryan); Blue De Vega (M D O’Callaghan); Garlingari (C Barande-Barbe); Marcel (P Chapple-Hyam); Viren's Army (R Hannon); Time Test (R Charlton); Intilaaq (R Varian); Best of Times (S bin Suroor); Cannock Chase (M Stoute); Exosphere (M Stoute).

Coral Betting

Fascinating Rock 6/1; Minding 6/1; New Bay 6/1; Time Test 6/1; Galileo Gold 8/1; The Gurkha 8/1; US Army Ranger 8/1; The Grey Gatsby 12/1; Tryster 14/1; Cannock Chase 16/1; Exosphere 16/1; Western Hymn 16/1; Wings Of Desire 16/1; Highland Reel 20/1; Intilaaq 20/1; Mondialiste 20/1; My Dream Boat 20/1; Port Douglas 20/1; Deauville 25/1; Endless Drama 25/1; Arabian Queen 33/1; Best of Times 33/1; Cougar Mountain 33/1; Scottish 33/1.

About Sandown Park Racecourse

Founded in 1875, Sandown Park Racecourse has provided the backdrop to some of the greatest moments in horse racing history. A day at the races at Sandown Park has it all with top-level racing throughout the year including the bet365 Meeting, Coral-Eclipse Summer Festival and Tingle Creek Christmas Festival meetings as well as our popular Music Nights. More information is available at www.sandown.co.uk

Sandown Park Racecourse is part of The Jockey Club, which has been at the heart of British racing for more than 260 years. Today the largest commercial group in the sport, The Jockey Club runs the largest racecourse group in the UK by turnover (2015: £174.2m), courses (15) including those at Aintree, Cheltenham, Epsom Downs and Newmarket, attendances (2015: 1.95m), total prize money (2015: £43.9m), contribution to prize money (2015: £19.9m) and quality racing (Group and Graded races); more than 3,000 acres of world-class training grounds in Newmarket, Lambourn and Epsom Downs; The National Stud breeding enterprise and education provider; and the charity for racing's people in need, Racing Welfare. Governed by Royal Charter, every penny The Jockey Club makes it puts back into British racing.