Alex Hammond looks back on the recent highlights from the Curragh and Newcastle before previewing the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown this Saturday.
Newcastle doesn’t get any easier for punters with some big-priced winners stealing the show – what did you make of Northumberland Plate day and did anything catch your eye?
With racing as competitive as we had at Newcastle last week there are always hard luck stories and poor old Dancing In Paris was so near yet so far in the Northumberland Plate. He has been raised 4lbs for his close second but looks to have a big staying handicap in him. When that will be, though, who knows.
Another horse that narrowly failed in a tight finish on Saturday was Pocklington and as he was having just his sixth career start, his first run since last August, and only his second in a handicap. I’d expect to see him placed to good effect by trainer Geoff Oldroyd. His dam was a high-level sprinter and is a full sister to high-class handicapper Hoof It.
Lambourn and Whirl shone for Ballydoyle during the Irish Derby meeting at the Curragh. How do you see the rest of their campaigns panning out?
Lambourn is now a dual Derby winner and while things went his way tactically at Epsom, he had to do things differently at the Curragh. He is apparently a lazy horse and needed to battle to beat stablemate Serious Contender, so doesn’t do things with a flourish.
On the face of it, the latter was beaten in a handicap at Royal Ascot, so it doesn’t look like spectacular form, but Serious Contender was runner-up to a horse in Merchant that is held in very high regard and was given an entry for the King George prior to his Royal Ascot victory.
I’m a fan of the third, Lazy Griff, who was racing on ground too lively for him and he’s now a leading player for the St Leger at Doncaster in September.
As you know, I fancied him to run a big race at Epsom, and he outran his odds there. Doncaster should be right up his street. Lambourn will no doubt head to races like the King George and Arc but there are some older horses heading in that direction that won’t be quaking in their boots just yet.
Having said that, he is following in some illustrious footsteps with O’Brien’s previous Epsom/Irish Derby double winners. Galileo (sire of Lambourn), High Chapparal, Camelot, Australia and Auguste Rodin have all previously achieved that feat.
When Whirl finished a close second in the Oaks, I felt that she had the potential to be the best of the O’Brien fillies, and she didn’t do anything to disprove that in winning the Pretty Polly on Saturday.
She rolled up her sleeves again here and beat a top level winner in Kalpana on this drop in trip and there’s much to look forward to.
Three-year-old fillies get a decent weight allowance in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and she could go there if supplemented for the October 1 feature.
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We have a huge clash in store in Saturday’s Coral-Eclipse, but will the older brigade fend off the Classic generation for the first time since Ghaiyyath’s win in 2020?
This promises to be an excellent race, I can’t wait. I think the three-year-olds are up against it with Ombudsman and Sosie in the line-up, despite the youngster generation winning the last four renewals. Prior to those most recent years there has been a fair spread of three-year-olds and older horses winning this contest and it’s the time of year that the scales aren’t quite balanced, or tipping in their favour, despite the weight-for-age allowance.
Four-year-old Ombudsman was superb in winning the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot and his peer Sosie, who has looked an out and out middle-distance performer, has shown his versatility with Group 1 wins over a mile and a quarter and one mile one furlong this season.
Sosie is the more attractive proposition at the prices, but I’d have concerns over the fastest ground he has encountered, and Ombudsman’s Ascot win came just over two weeks ago, but he was so impressive there.
There must also be some concerns over a faster racing surface for French Derby winner Camille Pissarro as he hasn’t shown his best on it in limited opportunities. Stablemate and fellow three-year-old Delacroix has won on a good to firm surface before, albeit he handles softer conditions.
Another of the three-year-olds is 2000 Guineas winner Ruling Court who was fortunate to get the better of Field Of Gold at Newmarket but was no match for that horse in the St. James’s Palace Stakes. He can make an impact upped to this mile and a quarter trip for the first time.
Give us one other name to note ahead of the weekend’s racing...
I thought Balmoral Lady ran well in the King Charles III Stakes at Royal Ascot at big odds and the Group 3 Coral Charge is more her bag.
She wouldn’t want the ground rattling fast but there are more races to be won with her as she seems better than ever at the age of four.
Updated at 1000 BST on 03/07/25
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