John Oxx expects Sea The Stars to have improved since his thrilling win in the Derby as he puts his reputation on the line in the Coral-Eclipse Stakes at Sandown.

The brilliant three-year-old has few questions to answer against his own age group having won the 2000 Guineas over a mile and the Derby over 12 furlongs.

Just as Nashwan did 20 years ago, Sea The Stars now tackles his elders over the intermediate trip of 10 furlongs and if he emerges victorious, there can surely be few doubters left.

However, having pulled him out of last week's Irish Derby due to soft ground, Oxx was not pleased to hear news of around 15 millimetres of rain falling on Thursday night.

"They weren't expecting that much, they were expecting up to five, but it's been a very hot week and the ground would have been very fast so my information is that it is very similar to how it was at Epsom on Derby day," said Oxx.

"We are not anticipating a problem as long as there is no more significant rain.

"You'd hope he's improved since Epsom, the race will tell us that, and the Epsom race took nothing out of him. He bounced out of that and continued with his work with his usual enthusiasm.

"You expect three-year-olds to improve as the year goes on, even the average ones, but the good ones tend to improve even more.

"He's only had five races so we'd have to be hopeful that there is improvement to come as the year goes on.

"Nobody really knows what his best trip is, only his performances on the racecourse over the course of the year will tell us that.

"When he ran in the Guineas, he showed so much speed over a mile it indicated 10 furlongs should be no problem and I think he stayed perfectly well at Epsom - I think he would have stayed at the Curragh too.

"Time will tell and at the end of the year I'll be able to tell everybody what his best distance is.

"The statistics are favourable enough towards three-year-olds. Other people are saying it is Derby winners that have the problem but they are basing that on two of them being beaten recently.

"They both ran well, Authorized's race was a very messy event, Motivator ran very well but he was just beaten by Oratorio, who beat him again in the Irish Champion Stakes so I'm not worried about that statistic," he told At The Races

One of Sea The Stars' main dangers is Sir Michael Stoute's Conduit, winner of the 2008 St Leger.

While his Classic win came over four furlongs further than this event, he did not lack for speed when narrowly beaten on his seasonal debut at Sandown.

"We were obviously very pleased with his first run of the season," said Peter Reynolds, racing manager for the owner, Ballymacoll Stud.

"Sir Michael's horses always tend to improve for their first run too so that is a positive.

"It has not been a concerted effort by us to get a Group One over 10 furlongs into him. Sir Michael has always said this horse is effective over a range of distances - he is not your typical St Leger winner.

"Giving 7lb away to everything the other day, he ran very well over this distance.

"We've beaten a Derby winner before in the Eclipse with Pilsudski and ironically that day Mick Kinane rode ours - Pilsudski was a year older though.

"Lang Shining is in there to make the running and it was always our intention to make it a properly run race."

It was Cima De Triomphe who narrowly got the better of Conduit at Sandown but Luca Cumani's charge meets him on 7lb worse terms.

"The horse is in good form and has pleased me in his work so we are hopeful of a good run. I would like to hope he has improved since Sandown but he will have needed to," said Cumani.

"As long as the ground is good or faster, that should be fine for him and it's going to be a fantastic race."

Henry Cecil's Twice Over usually runs an honest race and has been narrowly denied numerous times at the highest level.

"He ran a super race at Ascot and we thought he was just going to do it. He was really beaten very little in the end," said Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager for owner Prince Khalid Abdullah.

"He deserves another chance at Group One level and obviously this is tough, but there is no such thing as an easy Group One."

Aidan O'Brien's Rip Van Winkle reportedly suffered a slight scare on Thursday night but it was not serious enough to make him miss the race.

Coral-Eclipse, sponsors bet: 4-6 Sea The Stars, 4-1 Conduit, 5-1 Rip Van Winkle, 10-1 Cima De Triomphe, 14-1 Twice Over, 66-1 Jukebox Jury, 100-1 Steele Tango, 250-1 Lang Shining, Malibu Bay, Set Sail.