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Eclipse Stakes memories – Aidan O’Brien, Ryan Moore, Sea The Stars and Enable

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Eclipse Stakes memories – Aidan O’Brien, Ryan Moore, Sea The Stars and Enable

A major milestone in the British racing calendar is reached on Saturday with the running of the Coral-Eclipse Stakes at Sandown.

It will be the 49th edition under Coral sponsorship of the race which is the first Group 1 opportunity for three-year-olds to take on their elders at distances beyond a mile to be run in Britain.




It has consistently attracted some of the biggest stars on four legs, including this year with the inclusion of brilliant Derby winner City Of Troy, during the 30 years that Andrew Cooper has been Sandown clerk of the course.

Here he picks out, in chronological order, his five most memorable Eclipses.

Andrew Cooper: clerk of the course at Sandown for 30 years(Image: Sandown Park)

1 Giant’s Causeway (2000)

Giant’s Causeway was ridden by George Duffield and Pat Eddery was on Kalanasi. It was what was to become a typical performance by Giant’s Causeway, the Iron Horse, Pat looked to have timed his challenge to perfection on Kalanisi but the big chestnut battled back on the inner to beat him. You want the race to have a top quality three-year-old taking on a top quality older horse and there was next to nothing between them at the finish. He was awesome that year. He was the first of Aidan O’Brien’s seven Eclipse winners so it was the start of an era.

2 Notnowcato (2007)

As a clerk it can be frustrating to have a perceived or real advantage between one side of the course over the other. At this meeting it was easy ground and all day on the Friday the horses had come up on the hedge (stands) side. We opened a mile of fresh ground on Saturday and all the early races prior had stayed on the far side, including rides Ryan Moore was on. So he kept it up his sleeve for the big one to come over to the near side on his own and land his first Eclipse. It was an inspired and brilliant piece of riding. He beat the likes of the Derby winner Authorized and George Washington having their own battle on the far side.

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