World Pool ambassador Ryan Moore discusses the chances of Delacroix bouncing back from his Derby defeat in Saturday’s Coral-Eclipse, as well as the threats posed by stablemate Camille Pissarro and his four other rivals.
Delacroix out to open G1 account
"The Eclipse is a hugely important race with a lot of history. It’s been won by some of the greats over the years and is often a stallion-making race, so it means a lot. It’s a shame that there are only six runners this year, as it truly is one of the biggest races of the entire season, particularly as it’s the first time the Classic generation clash with older horses.
"It’s been very dry and hot in the UK, which has meant some of the intended runners are going to wait for their preferred conditions, which is a shame. Still, out of the six horses lining up, five of them are Group 1 winners, so it’s a high-class field.
"The only horse who is yet to win at the top level is mine, DELACROIX. We’re hoping he can bounce back from the Derby at Epsom, where he was only ninth, but everything went wrong for him. I’d say the track probably didn’t suit and the 2400m was just too far. He had good form as a two-year-old – Hotazhell narrowly beat him in a photo in the Futurity Trophy – and this season he was very good over this trip on his two starts before the Derby, so we’re hoping he can bounce back."
Hard to split Ballydoyle duo
"Camille Pissarro has had three runs this year, winning the French Derby at Chantilly last time out. That was his first run over this distance and was on good ground too, while Sandown is similar to Chantilly in that it’s right-handed with one turn and has a slight uphill finish, so he should be fine with all of that. There’s nothing between him and Delacroix, just a pound on official ratings.
"Christophe [Soumillon] knows Camille well having won the Lagardere on him last year and was third on him in the French Guineas behind Henri Matisse. It therefore made sense for Christophe to be on him."
Ombudsman the one to beat; French star solid
"I’ve ridden Ombudsman twice, winning on him in France last year and then on his first start back this year when he was second in the Brigadier Gerard over this course and distance. He carried a penalty that day and was in need of his first run, so I thought he ran well despite not winning.
"He put up a massive performance to win the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot. We went hard in front and might have set it up for him a bit that day, but he was still very good. The only slight negative with him is that it’s a quick turnaround from Ascot, but he’s a good way ahead of the field on all known form and is the one to beat.
"Sosie has won two Group 1s already this year and is trained by Andre Fabre, so has to be respected. He looks like a horse that gets this trip really well and Fabre nominated this race for him fairly early on in the year. He was also fourth in the Arc last year, so looks a very solid contender.
"Ruling Court is probably the forgotten horse. He won the Guineas and didn’t run badly in the St James’s Palace to finish third, while he won at Sandown as a two-year-old. This could still be his ideal trip and he remains unexposed."
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