SO WHICH horse will join the amazing roll of honour of the Coral Eclipse Stakes this afternoon as the three-year-olds take on the older horses over a mile and quarter for the first time this season at Sandown Park?

The likes of Mill Reef, Brigadier Gerard, Sadler’s Wells, Pebbles, Dancing Brave, Mtoto, Hawk Wing, Sea The Stars and Enable and many more mean that the seven declared runners have an awful lot to live up to.

Top of the betting shop is the French Derby hero Constitution River trying to confirm that Chantilly form with his stable mate and runner-up that day Hawk Mountain. There will without doubt be little between them and I think this stiffer mile and a quarter, if we get a well run race, will test the first named to the max as he is not an assured stayer up this stiff final climb.

However, the fourth home, A BOY NAMED SIOUX (Sandown Park, 3.35) was the most inconvenienced horse that day, racing wide and from way off the pace before finishing a never-nearer two and three-quarter lengths off the winner.

If Aidan O’Brien’s third entry Flushing Meadows puts pace into the race that will suit the selection perfectly as they go inside the final quarter mile up the testing Esher hill. Anything around the 8/1 mark will do for me and it is just a shame that there are only two places up for grabs otherwise I would be having a maximum each-way play.

The dark horse in the race is the lightly raced Gethin who made Ombudsman (gave 7lbs) pull out all the stops over the course and distance some 37 days ago and he has some more improvement in him in what is probably not a vintage renewal.

There are some cracking shoulder races on the card and my main other tip of the day comes in the mile-and-a-quarter handicap at 4.47 where I expect BRIDGE OF EAGLES (4.47) to reverse recent form with Akho Mezzna.

The stronger the pace the better for the son of Gleneagles who I expect to see running over a mile and a half before the season is over. The added plus is that his trainer David Menuisier is in amazing form with a strike rate of 29 per cent in the last fortnight.

Earlier on, RUMSTAR (1.50) is taken to successfully retain his Coral Charge title following a poor draw at Royal Ascot. His turn of foot on the prevailing ground is a huge weapon and he can see off the likes of Asfoora and the classy three-year-old Word of Truth as they rattle home inside the final furlong.

The class two, mile-and-a-quarter handicap that ends the card at 5.22 looks as competitive a race on the whole card and many will be siding with likely favourite Point of Contact following on from his game win at York last time out.

A 3lbs penalty seems fair based on the circumstances of that win and he is certainly the one to beat here, but at a much better value price I shall be rowing in with the outsider GREAT DAVID who will relish the return to a more conventional track after finishing down the field at both Chester and Epsom.

As a result of those two runs this bay colt now runs off a mark 5lbs lower than for the first of those disappointing performances and the return to a faster surface is also a big plus for this nice moving charge.

With Haydock Park not racing until later in the season, the famous old handicap, the Old Newton Cup, has been transferred to Newmarket and offers a big chance to the William Haggas-trained Klassleader to supplement his York success following a 229-day break.

He looks sure to have come on for that run and is probably the most likely winner of this valuable mile-and-a-half event, but for a shot of each-way value there are several runners also set to make their mark.

They include Plage de Havre, some 9lbs better off for a four and a half lengths beating at the Knavesmire, and my selection, AL AALI (3.15).

Thought good enough to run in some top races when trained in France including when beaten just over six lengths in the French Derby, this son of City Light has seen his handicap mark drop from 104 to 90, but the main key to his chance is the step up from a mile and a quarter for the very first time in his career.

With the dam being by Montjeu there is enough stamina in his lines to suggest this extra yardage will improve him and at
around the 16/1 mark he looks way too big on the market place.

Tiffany will be another short priced favourite to land the re arranged Lancashire Oaks at 2.40, but I think that MISS JUSTICE could push her  close. I was among many pundits who thought that Christophe Soumillon didn’t ride her to best effect in a Listed race at Chantilly and if Joe Leavy holds onto her for a bit longer here then she could well record a career best which she will have to do to land this Group Three event.

LOPEO (2.05) has always looked like an out and out stayer and I would love to see him come back to Newmarket for the Cesarewitch in autumn, but he will need to win this three-year-old handicap to possibly get into the weights and a good gallop over this mile and three quarters should be perfect for him.

Finally, it is Ladies’ Jockey Night at Carlisle and former Windsor Castle Stakes eighth, CALYXOH (7.09) could go close to defying top weight in this mile handicap. He ran better than his finishing positions suggests when behind Mission Command at Chester last month and dropped to a career low mark of 78 less Alexandra Egan’s 7lbs claim, the pair could be nicely in here if his inexperienced jockey can get him to settle early on.