1805: Each roar that comes up from the crowd means that another hoodlum has succeeded in vaulting over the final fence. On a sultry afternoon, there wasn't a drop of sweat to be seen on Sea The Stars before the Coral-Eclipse and he hardly looked like he was feeling the strain afterwards. A great performance. Rip Van Winkle outperformed my expectations but remains still searching for a first win this season. Will it be the Irish Champion Stakes next for Aidan O'Brien's unfortunate colt (connections said that he banged a hock in the build-up to the race and was being considered a doubtful runner). Thanks to Bob Bradley, we've even mapped out an American plan for Conduit. Now that's informative journalism. Until the July meeting then. Thank goodness they don't have fences there.

1800: Sandown's unfortunate decision to put a line of yellow-jacketed stewards in front of the final fence has produced a series of efforts from inebriated members of the crowd to breach the lines and high-jump the obstacle. Result = more stewards. Net result = More jumpers and more people queueing up to cheer them on and try and provoke the stewards into something a bit 'andy (as I believe they call it in these parts). The fun and games are only now beginning for some.

1735: Gosh, fancy that, Call It On finishing fast and too late. Has that ever happened before? Oh yes, I remember now. Every time it runs. Still, some compensation for the winner's connections after the bad luck of the previous race.

1720: I have backed Call It On on all three starts this season. Should I make it four here or is it just chucking bad money after good? Raaeidd looks as if he could be quite hard to beat on that York run though. This last race is the Charles Leahy Memorial Handicap. His friend Dave Parkin has emailed me to say: "Charlie Leahy was a friend (my best man) and colleague who passed away in March this year after a long career at Coral which included racecourse shops and the Trading department. His wife and daughters and friends are there today and he would have cheered home Rip Van Winkle in the Eclipse as he "Oi-Oi"d anything trained by the master, AP O’Brien. My thoughts are with you Big Man."

1705: Sea The Stars is the new 7-2 favourite for the Arc de Triomphe with Sky Bet and 4-7 with a run (ie you get your money back if he doesn't run) for the King George in three weeks' time. John Oxx gave the impression that virtually every big race at a mile and a quarter and a mile and a half would be considered for the remainder of the season. If there's cut in the ground at Longchamp, surely the Breeders' Cup will look a more interesting option than the Arc.

1657: Stolen from the front by Cyflymder and Richard Hughes. Santefisio's the one for the notebook. Jimmy Fortune was screaming so loud for room at the furlong-pole that Ryan Moore turned round to see what all the noise was about. He's hardly had a race and still finished third. Keep it yourself, though. Maybe nobody else noticed?

1650: I've had a good look at the next race and, in a nutshell, I don't think it's as competitive as it might look at first glance. If Maswerte repeats the form of his last win, he should go close again and the stable are evidently in good form. The danger looks to be Floor Show to me who wasn't suited by having to race away from the stands' rail at Doncaster on his previous start. I've backed them both and greedily had a go at the forecast too. You never know...

1628: Bob Bradley has mooted the Sword Dancer (US$500,000) at Saratoga on August 15 as a possible stopping point for Conduit between today and the Arc. It's on turf and it's over a mile and a half. I like it. And it's not as if Ballymacoll and the trainer have been afraid to go travelling where necessary in the past eg Pilsudski.

1624: I like him even more now. Somebody get me another glass. I clearly punt better under the influence.

1618: Personally, I like Desert Sea here. I like the horse, I like his form, I like the fact he's had a break since the Chester Cup, I like the jockey booking. I like everything about him. You might have noticed that I've cooled down a bit now. That's the glass of Pimms. The second glass of Pimms. Plenty of ice, please.

1608: The judging is taking place for the Best Dressed Lady competition. I've given up watching them. The formbook always gets turned upside down. If you thought that there were some dodgy goings-on on the all-weather, it's not a patch on what happens at these things.

1600: A genuinely-interesting interview of Ryan Moore on Racing UK. He really stepped up to the plate as Nick Luck asked him a couple of questions that required more than just a one-word answer. He thinks there's more to come from Conduit this season and indicated that he would step up in trip now. If stablemate Tartan Bearer (also in the same ownership) goes for the King George, what other options are there for him over a mile and a half before the Arc? Maybe they'll both go to Ascot? Now, that would be a development.

1552: Oh sorry. Yes, that was a good performance. Four from four favourites placed. I don't think the Placepot's going to be a big payer today.

1549: Yes, a strawberry daiquri. That'll be fine. Thanks.

1545: Apparently there are three more races to go. I'm too hot for all this. Somebody buy me a drink.

1538: At the far end of the area in front of the stands, there are five food and drink outlets. At the cornish pastie stall, the fish and chips stall, the carvery stall and the noodle bar, the total number queueing is six. At the Fireside Bar, it's about 666. It's that sort of day. Could be messy.

1530: His owner, who fainted in the aftermath of the race, has reportedly made a quick recovery. Thank goodness for that. I hope his will's up to date.

1527: Sea The Stars must be, without doubt, the most valuable horse anywhere in the planet right now. He looks too laid-back to care though. Did you see him give a little buck and a kick as Mick Kinane pulled him up to bring him back up the horsewalk? What a cracker.

1520: Two very good horses. Three very good horses, in fact, because let's not forget that the versatile Conduit won the St Leger over half a mile further last year. I take my hat off to Rip Van Winkle, who ran better than I expected, but ultimately you'll never convince me that the best horse didn't win even if the runner-up did look to get a slight taste of Mick Kinane's whip in the final strides. No traffic problems, no hard-luck stories, no team tactics.

1515: They're loading. On time again. Sea The Stars looks great, but they all do really. Conduit, who can be sweaty and lairy, looks on great terms with himself.

1510: Sorry Christine, Duncan's not been on with any tips today. I think he takes weekends off. It's a nice position to be in.

1509: Surprise, surprise. He's won the best-turned-out award. There ought to be another prize for John Oxx, who looks just as unruffled by the noise and the heat.

1508: I'm thinking of putting an ice cube down the back of my shirt, to help regulate my rising temperature. The good news is that Sea The Stars doesn't seem to be letting anything bother him as he prepares to be mounted for the big race.

1505: Barshiba hits the target up at Haydock in the Lancashire Oaks. Must admit I did have a look at her, but thought she probably wouldn't stay a mile and a half. I was wrong again.

1455: Christophe Lemaire now heads into the Eclipse having never ridden a loser at Sandown. I'm off to the parade ring to get a look at Sea The Stars. I hope he's not feeling the heat as much as I am.

1450: The first two are in the Totesport Mile at Goodwood and given how much Mark Johnston likes to target his horses at the Glorious meeting, I could see Crackdown running a big, big race there. He's in the Bunbury Cup next week as well.

1444: Thank goodness for Ace of Hearts - Huzzah each-way backers get paid out on fourth. I reckon that form might just work out quite well. There didn't seem to be that many excuses for the third, fourth and fifth, all of whom make the form look more solid.

1441: Acey's made it and they're off.

1438: Ace of Hearts is threatening to ruin each-way punters' hopes here by refusing the join his friends at the start. He's also scuppering the timekeeping.

1435: Could old Blythe Knight pop up at a big price here? He's got a cracking draw. I'll try him, Well Come and Huzzah at double-figure prices.

1425: Guess what? All 16 go in the next race. Whodathunkit? Four places for each-way players. Personally, I agree with JR about the importance of a high draw around the bend here and the statistics do speak loudly in that respect.

1422: Not a sensational time in the first race, although the straight course was officially thought to be riding a little slower than the main track.

1418: Ialysos is 14-1 from 16-1 for the Stewards' Cup with Sky Bet, although Luca Cumani indicated that the Nunthorpe Stakes was the most likely target.

1410: Matsunosuke caught the eye, having been stopped when angling for a run over a furlong out. His official mark has dropped to 98. Although he's not in the Stewards' Cup (shame), I could see him winning a handicap off his current rating.

1408: The head-on shows that Triple Aspect was all over the place close home, hanging left and right and left again. Despite being drawn best of all on the far rail, his lack of pace at a cruical stage of the race has seen him have to switch wide and come down the outside. Did it cost him the race? Maybe.

1406: And we're off to a winner. The Greek freak does the business. My only bet so far today and it's won. I should stop now, shouldn't I? Somebody steal my phone. And my wallet. And then give them back to me later, please.

1405: Go on the freak.

1400: Sandown are going to get perilously close to getting their first race off on time. Has this ever happened before?

1350: I've found a match bet pairing up Conduit with Rip Van Winkle. An interesting offering.

1340: Weather update - no more rain. It's hot and sticky again. There's a pretty substantial queue at the bar downstairs. Harry's parting words (down the phone) before he leaves the press room are "have another 10 grand on it". He's just bet more in one phone call than most will manage in a lifetime.

1335: I can't make up my mind about the distances at Sandown today. I've had a pretty good run on getting the winning lengths right recently, but the run won't be continuing today. Selectivity is the key. Oh if only I had the will-power to live by that.

1330: It wouldn't be a blog without Tony Chapple's transatlantic tips and he reckons Conduit is an each-way certainty at 9-2. "The stats are key," he says. "No Derby winner has won the Eclipse for 20 years." He's right of course, but all records are there to be broken. Tony agrees that Triple Aspect is "way too short" in the first race and he fancies Anglezarke. But Harry Findlay - sporting an 'individual' purple paisley-style shirt just popped into the press room - and I overheard him saying that he was bankering Triple Aspect in his expensive-sounding Scoop6 perm. And he should know.

1305: Right, placepot and match bets time. Don't expect to hear from me for a while.

1258: An impressive number of people are snaking across the course from Esher station. If they all got off one four-carriage train then they must have come seriously close to breaking the world record. When I arrived in the car park this morning, I was about the seventh car in a field with a capacity for about 3000 vehicles, but the man in the yellow still managed to take the time to come and tell me I'd parked in the wrong place after I mistakenly sought some shade under a tree.

1255: I'm hungry again. Breakfast this morning was a box of blueberries from Tesco extra. Nowhere else was open that early. I was struggling to decide between the blueberries and the mango chunks but the box said that the blueberries were a good source of anti-oxidants and free radicals. I've no idea what that means but it sounded good. I can't say I feel less oxidised or more radicalised as a result though.

1248: Still 16 left in the 2.40, Jonny. Can't be much longer to wait until another one comes out now. It's stopped raining. The picnic-ers have hung up their blankets over benches to dry them out.

1243: Lee Mottershead has just said on Racing UK that Rip Van Winkle travelled best of all in the 2000 Guineas. I cannot agree with him. Lee says his price is insulting. Insultingly bad, he presumably means. How on earth can Rip Van Winkle beat Sea The Stars? How many more times does StS have to beat him? That said, I thought the same before Oratorio beat Motivator here. Could I be as badly wrong again?

1240: Darren Ottley's on his way to the Festival of Speed. Do they have pacemakers there? That said, if Aidan O'Brien is to be believed all of his horses would be there given that they all have so much natural speed. His treble for the day is 2.05 Anglezarke, 3.45 Strawberry daiquiri, 4.55 Maswerte. All solid chances.

1234: I didn't even bring an umbrella today. It was so nice when I arrived.

1232: It is rain, you know. Well, well, well.

1230: It's suddenly got a bit hazy and foggy. The blue skies have disappeared. Hang about. Is that rain?

1225: Rumours are sweeping the press room that a new Manchester United signing is expected to be at the races today. And I'm not talking about Antonio Valencia. Given that Mrs Owen is "the face of the Eclipse" (what do you mean you didn't know that a horse-race needed a face!?) (other than the one needed to see where it is going) it doesn't really require a great deal of detective work to establish that he might be here.

1220: Just went to look for some lunch. A standard burger was six quid. I went for a bag of cheese and onion at 60p. I haven't got where I am today without being able to spot value. Ten bags of crisps will always be a better purchase than one burger.

1210: Two hours before the race, several parties have already pitched up on blankets alongside the running rail in front of the main grandstand. That's devotion.

1200: He's back. He's back. Jonny Rose is no longer on a world tour (well, only the half of the world that he could afford until the money ran out at Alaska and he had to come back). He fancies We'll Come in the 14.40. "My opinion is that a high draw is best, and this fella will follow Huzzah down the rail and then come through. As long as the 16 stay in, I'm going for a maximum each-way punt on this to pay for the bar bill from the cruise." Surely it's just cynical to think that another non-runner would come out of this high-profile 16-runner affair on a big punting Saturday?

1145: Presumably the punters who are backing Triple Aspect to win the opener are saying they don't think his defeat by Border Patrol at Newbury in May was his real form, because if it was, I can't see how he can beat the King's Stand third Anglezarkle and the Greek freak Ialysos (who was hampered and well beaten the Golden Jubilee, a race I reckon to be best quickly forgotten for form evaluation purposes). I must be missing something about Triple Aspect. Maybe someone would be kind enough to email in and tell me what it is.

1135: Sky Bet are betting on how far Sea The Stars will win the Eclipse by? For those who are convinced that the horse is just in a different league, over three lengths is a 5/1 chance.

1130: Just watching a replay of my 'oss, who ran at Warwick yesterday. I was robbed. Meanwhile, all of the talk in the press room is of intravenous injections.

1115: Sea The Stars is very strong in the betting. Sky Bet are joint-best-priced at 8/13, with all the 4/6 having gone.

1105: What are the dangers to Sea The Stars today? Conduit? Cima de Triomphe? Or - more likely, in my view - the prospect of Set Sail, Malibu Bay and Lang Shining - disrupting the natural rhythm of the race and/or causing problems as they go back through the pack? Are they all pacemakers? Lang Shining is presumably there to help set decent fractions for Conduit, but what is the intent behind Set Sail and Malibu Bay's participation? Would an end-to-end gallop not just play into the hands of Sea The Stars? Could the stewards be in need of dusting off their team tactics rulebooks?

1100: The timing of the news of Nicky Henderson's ban could certainly have been better when it comes to publicising what promises to be one of the most important races of the year. Never mind. The 'sold out' signs are unlikely to be wheeled out today, with a forecast crowd of 15-16,000. Just to hammer home exactly where the big bucks for racecourses seem to come from these days, the last few tickets to see Simply Red after racing later this month are expected to be sold in the next couple of days. I did the eight-hour round trip at the same meeting last year in order to watch Girls Aloud. It may not surprise you that I will not be making a repeat journey in order to see Mick Hucknall.

1055: The loudspeakers crackle into life. "Your attention please, this is a PA test, a PA test. One, two, three. Thank you." Now I have to take issue with this. Why did he need our attention? Did we really need to know that it was a PA test, a PA test? Couldn't he have just done it without are attention. I had a letter this week from the Royal Mail to that said 'This is a test letter. Please throw away'. Honestly. I kept it as a souvenir. What a rebel.

1050: I'm so excited that I put a new pair of pants on this morning. I really did. I thought it was the sort of day that deserved me making a bit of an effort. There is a standing joke I share with Coral's Simon Clare and David Stevens that the Eclipse is simply referred to throughout the year as "the great race" rather than by name - a bit like saying 'Himself' rather than Arkle. Sometimes it lives up to its title, sometimes it doesn't. This year, it undoubtedly does. Sea The Stars stands on the verge joining the sport's elite and emulating Nashwan (1989), Royal Palace (1968), Blue Peter (1939) and Golden Jubilee (1900) as the only horses to have won the 2000 Guineas, the Derby and the Eclipse. Not that it will be easy with the likes of Conduit, Cima de Triomphe and (the ludicrously over-rated in my opinion) Rip Van Winkle in opposition.

1045: Good morning from Sandown where the skies are blue, the sun is shining and temperatures are already rising fast ahead of racing. Although you might not know it from the first seven pages of the Racing Post, today is Coral-Eclipse day and fears that Thursday night's storms would lead to slow ground have proved wide of the mark. Conditions are near-enough perfect with the going now 'Good, Good to Firm in places' and the going stick reading on the round course has moved up accordingly to 8.4 from 8.0 on the round course.