Coral Eclipse Day - Tipping from Sandown Park and Haydock Park

The Coral Eclipse is one of the highlights of the flat racing calendar, and the Group One contest will look to set tongues wagging once more, as we have a mammoth clash for the titans as the Australian superstar import for Ballydoyle takes on the Derby and Arc winning hero Workfoce.

I have long been an admirer of So You Think and prior to the season beginning, I personally backed him for both the King George and The Arc. However it seems the stable have opted to stick with 10f races since his disappointing second in the Prince of Wales, and I have to begrudgingly admit he will be second best here once more again. Workforce looked like he had retained all of his class in a pleasing reappearance, winning the Brigadier Gerard stakes convincingly over same course and distance. He will have fitness on his side from missing Royal Ascot, and a strongly run 10 furlongs looks ideal for him here.

MARGOT DID is a horse who is finally fulfilling the promise she showed in fits and starts last year, and looks to continue her fine form by completing a hatrick in the Coral Charge, which is a group three race ran over five furlongs. Connections have changed tactics this season and it has worked a treat. Instead of attempting to come from last to first, jockey Hayley Turner in the filly’s last two runs have made all, and she has thrived, and she runs against fairly exposed opponents, such as Triple Aspect and Captain Dunne.

The Lancashire Oaks is the highlight of a fine card at Haydock Park, and the group two contest looks a wide open affair with dual Irish and English Oaks heroine Snow Fairy opting for the Eclipse Stakes and the Jim Bolger trained Banimpire going instead for the Irish Oaks next month. The open race looks to be taylor made for VITA NOVA who looks to have the potential to be a very smart filly in the making. The daughter of Galileo ran Ferdoos to a neck upon her only career loss in a listed contest over same course and distance, with the pair pulling 4 ½ lengths clear of the field, which looks the best piece of form from the field.

2.00 Sandown – Margot Did

3.10 Sandown – Workforce (Nap)

2.50 Haydock – Vita Nova

The Yorkshireman – Jack Milner