Eclipse Stakes
Group 1 race | |
Location | Sandown Park Esher, England |
---|---|
Inaugurated | 1886 |
Race type | Flat / Thoroughbred |
Sponsor | Coral |
Website | Sandown Park |
Race information | |
Distance | 1m 1f 209y (2,002 m) |
Surface | Turf |
Track | Right-handed |
Qualification | Three-years-old and up |
Weight | 8 st 13 lb (3yo); 9 st 9 lb (4yo+) Allowances 3 lb for fillies and mares |
Purse | £750,000 (2023) 1st: £425,325 |
2024 | ||
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
City Of Troy | Al Riffa | Ghostwriter |
Previous years | ||
---|---|---|
2023 | ||
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Paddington | Emily Upjohn | West Wind Blows |
2022 | ||
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Vadeni | Mishriff | Native Trail |
2021 | ||
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
St Mark's Basilica | Addeybb | Mishriff |
The Eclipse Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Sandown Park over a distance of 1 mile, 1 furlong and 209 yards (2,002 metres), and it is scheduled to take place each year in early July.
History
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/34/Breeder_and_sportsman_%281886%29_%2820418261081%29.jpg/220px-Breeder_and_sportsman_%281886%29_%2820418261081%29.jpg)
The event is named after Eclipse, a celebrated 18th-century racehorse. It was established in 1886, and the inaugural running was won by Bendigo. At that time, it was Britain's richest ever race.[1] The prize fund of £10,000 was donated by Leopold de Rothschild at the request of General Owen Williams, a co-founder of Sandown Park.
The Eclipse Stakes was contested by high-quality fields from its inception. It was won by Ayrshire, the previous year's Derby winner, in 1889. The first three finishers in 1903– Ard Patrick, Sceptre and Rock Sand — had won seven Classics between them.
The race has been sponsored by Coral since 1976, and it is now familiarly known as the "Coral-Eclipse". The most recent Classic winner to achieve victory was City of Troy, the Epsom Derby winner, in 2024.
Records
[edit]Most successful horse (2 wins):
- Orme – 1892, 1893
- Buchan – 1919, 1920
- Polyphontes – 1924, 1925
- Mtoto – 1987, 1988
- Halling – 1995, 1996
Leading jockey (7 wins):
- Lester Piggott – Mystery IX (1951), Darius (1955), Arctic Explorer (1957), St Paddy (1961), Pieces of Eight (1966), Wolver Hollow (1969), Artaius (1977)
Leading trainer (8 wins):
- Aidan O'Brien - Giant's Causeway (2000), Hawk Wing (2002), Oratorio (2005), Mount Nelson (2008), So You Think (2011), St Mark's Basilica (2021), Paddington (2023), City of Troy (2024)
Leading owner (8 wins): (includes part ownership)
- Sue Magnier – Giant's Causeway (2000), Hawk Wing (2002), Oratorio (2005), Mount Nelson (2008), So You Think (2011), St Mark's Basilica (2021), Paddington (2023), City of Troy (2024)
Winners
[edit]The race was not run from 1915-1918 because of World War I and from 1940-1945 because of World War II.
- ^ The 1973 running took place at Kempton Park
- ^ Trepan finished first in 1976, but he was later disqualified after testing positive for a banned substance
- ^ Three-year-olds were excluded from the 2020 running as part of race alterations due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- galopp-sieger.de – Eclipse Stakes.
- ifhaonline.org – International Federation of Horseracing Authorities – Eclipse Stakes (2019).
- pedigreequery.com – Eclipse Stakes – Sandown Park.
- tbheritage.com – Eclipse Stakes.
- Church, Michael (2000). Eclipse - The Horse - The Race - The Awards. Thoroughbred Advertising. p. 415. ISBN 0-9538939-0-1.
- Abelson, Edward; John Tyrrel (1993). The Breedon Book of Horse Racing Records. Breedon Books. pp. 106–109. ISBN 1-873626-15-0.
- Race Recordings [1]
Specific
- ^ Wood, Greg (4 July 2003). "Nayef heads 14 rivals in Eclipse". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 October 2012.