Timeform's Rory King with his reaction to Constitution River's Coral-Eclipse win and a noteworthy performance at Newmarket too.
The Coral-Eclipse always marks a key stage of the season, the first clash of three-year-olds against older horses at Group One level, and even in recent years it’s served up some fine multi-generational battles: Vadeni and Native Trail against Mishriff; Paddington against Emily Upjohn and Delacroix against Ombudsman last year, the latter reminiscent of some of the fine battles down the years such as Giant’s Causeway against Kalanisi; Halling against Singspiel and Sadler’s Wells against Time Charter.
It would certainly be stretching it to suggest that the 2026 renewal was a true top-level clash of that ilk - at the start of the day there were 16 European-trained older horses who operate over middle distances with higher Timeform ratings than Saddadd’s 121 (Gethin a pound further back). Neither of that pair really ran their race either, so this was in effect a rematch from the Prix du Jockey Club.
Constitution River had already shown in the Dee Stakes that he can run a very fast time, and a strongly-run race here allowed him to show he’s the standout three-year-old colt at a mile-and-a-quarter.
A Timeform rating in the mid-to-high 120s (exact figure yet to be finalised) puts him onto the coat-tails of Ombudsman and Calandagan, and a clash with the former in the Juddmonte International could be blockbuster. Before Saturday he was already the third highest rated progeny of Wootton Bassett on Timeform ratings, and this sees him leapfrog King of Steel into second, with Almanzor’s 133 potentially within reach at York or Leopardstown.
Elsewhere on Saturday there were some very fast times at Newmarket, a card rearranged from the still-out-of-action Haydock Park.
Tattycoram continued the fine start to her four-year-old season when lowering the track record in the Lancashire Oaks, though it didn’t last long, Sportingsilvermine taking it lower still in the Old Newton Cup 35 minutes later.
Tattycoram got better the further she went and would be a huge player in the Lillie Langtry at Goodwood, a course at which she’s already proven, but the pull of a Group One may see her head elsewhere. Either way, she’s a fine example of what giving a horse time can do.
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