Coral-Eclipse (G1)
Sandown Park - 4th July 2026
Does the 10 lbs weight for age allowance make a big difference to the 3-year-olds chances? I think I would have to say that at this time of the year, the allowance is perhaps a little too big. Constitution River is an exceptional horse and is almost certainly the best of this year’s 3-year-old crop and we will come to his data in a moment. However, before we get to that, we should make allowance for the fact that the official handicapper would say that he is 3 lbs better than Saddadd. So, having beaten him 8 lengths, getting 10 lbs, then off level weights he might perhaps have won by a length. It’s not an exact science and the variables from the track and going conditions often mean that the simplistic view of allowing 1 lb for every length can’t be taken at face value, but in what was a fast time, I think I’d be quite keen to forgive the older horses, especially Gethin, who would probably prefer a softer surface and who was simply far too close to the early pace to give himself a chance.
In the last 20 years, the winning time of 2:04.43 recorded by Constitution River in this year’s Eclipse Stakes ranks 5th, with only Roaring Lion (2018), Ulysses (2017), Al Kazeem (2013) and Sea The Stars (2009) recording better times. Those are some very illustrious names to be compared to and the Prix du Jockey Club winner has certainly earned that kind of accolade after adding another G1 to his growing reputation. I’ve used the TPD database to put together the above graphic, which looks at the average speeds recorded by horses over the 10 furlong trip at Sandown since the start of the 2022 season. As you can see, Constitution River comes out on top for that metric from a sample of 66 races. He had help. Flushing Meadows, employed as a pacemaker for the Ballydoyle runners, certainly did his job and both he and Gethin topped 42 mph as they battled for the early lead as they headed towards the bottom of the course. The leader was as much as half a second up at halfway, but he had done his job under Sean Levey and helped to stretch the field. Although there was a brief moment where Ryan Moore was forced to switch around Gethin, once in the clear this son of Wootton Bassett was simply too strong. His late speed figure of 33.21 mph was a clear best and he was the only horse in the field to record a run-out speed above 30 mph as he clocked 30.49 mph 2s after he crossed the winning line. This was a 10th victory in the race for Aidan O’Brien, who also saddled the 3rd placed Hawk Mountain and whilst there were one or two minor doubts about the way the Prix du Jockey Club panned out under the Ballydoyle tactics, this race confirmed the class that Constitution River had shown.