Jane Mangan’s William Hill Blog: Eclipse Day Preview

By News Team
5th July 2024

William Hill ambassador Jane Mangan previews Eclipse Day from Sandown.

Sandown, Saturday

I’m going to start with the Group 3 Charge (1.50pm), William Hill’s Top Price Guarantee race on Saturday, where Live In The Dream is, for me, the standout horse. He is the Nunthorpe winner from last year and while this season hasn’t been perfect, yet to win this term for Adam West, I just think he’s just very hard to oppose.

Onto the Distaff (3pm), a three-year-old fillies’ race over a mile. I really like for John and Thady Gosden, who I predict will end this season rated higher than her current mark of 102. Her Fred Darling run was obviously a very promising start to the year, but then blew out in the 1,000 Guineas. That can happen in the Classics, even to the best like City Of Troy, and I liked her run at Goodwood last time in the William Hill Height Of Fashion, where she was probably a bit unlucky not to win. I think she’s a better filly than we’ve seen so far this year and I’m hoping that she’ll give the Sandringham winner Soprano a run for her money with Kieran Shoemark back aboard.

City Of Troy is unopposable in the big race of the day, the Eclipse (3.35pm), and this should be a formality. While it’s disappointing that there isn’t more depth to the opposition, particularly no standout older horses, the way I’m going to play it is by backing Stay Alert each-way. Hughie Morrison’s mare ran a good race for a long way in the Pretty Polly last weekend, and despite the quick turnaround, I think she could be ridden off the pace for a place. It’s going to be a sustained gallop with Hans Andersen in there to guarantee a pace for City Of Troy. I feel, while Dancing Gemini and Ghostwriter will be making their challenges, David Egan will be taking his time on Stay Alert and hope to pick up pieces. Her big price could pay dividends for each-way punters in the main race of the day.