Who wins the 2022 Coral-Eclipse at Sandown based on previous trends?

The Coral-Eclipse at Sandown is fast approaching and we have found the key trends to follow for this year's race . . .

Key races

The best trial for the Coral-Eclipse has been the Prince of Wales's Stakes, with five of the last 12 winners having contested that race on their most recent start.

However, just one of the five won that particular race, so you do not need to look for winning Royal Ascot form. Bay Bridge narrowly missed out on the Prince of Wales's Stakes and is the one who fits this trend, while Lord North trailed home in fifth after a well-publicised hood calamity.

The other race of note is the Derby, with 2015 winner Golden Horn and 2018 third Roaring Lion going on to win the Eclipse on their next start.

Al Kazeem: 2013 Coral-Eclipse winner used Royal Ascot as a stepping stoneCredit: Edward Whitaker

Ratings

You have to be top class to take the Coral-Eclipse with nine of last 13 winners rated 120 or higher.

Interestingly, five of those were rated 126, although no horses are rated that highly in this year's renewal. Last season's third Mishriff comes closest with a rating of 125 while Lord North, rated 118, is set to be the lowest-rated horse in the line-up.

Distance

Form over 1m2f is essential, as shown by Enable and Nathaniel being the only Eclipse winners not to have winning form over that distance in the last decade.

Class got those two horses through with the others all having at least one win at the 1m2f distance in the book.

Enable: overcame a lack of form over 1m2f to win in 2019Credit: Edward Whitaker

Class

All 21 winners this century had at least a Group 3 win to their name heading into the Group 1 contest but perhaps more crucially, eighteen had already secured a top-level success before Sandown.

This could bode badly for Bay Bridge and Dubai Honour, the only horses without a Group 1 win to their name, as they take on more seasoned top-level performers.

Odds

Surprises are very rare in the Coral-Eclipse, as evidenced by ten of the last 12 winners being the favourite or second-favourite.

Mukhadram was a 14-1 winner in 2014 and Ulysses battled on bravely to record an 8-1 success in 2017, but those are two isolated examples of big-priced wins in what is usually a smaller elite field.

Verdict

Vadeni looked like a superstar when producing a devastating turn of foot to win the French Derby and he is the trends pick for this year's race.

He did not compete in the Prince of Wales's Stakes, but his French Derby win ticks the Group 1 box and he fits the bill in the rest of the categories as a 120+ rated horse at the top of the market.

Coral-Eclipse (3.35 Sandown, Saturday)

Coral: 13-8 Vadeni, 7-2 Bay Bridge, Native Trail, 7 Mishriff, 15-2 Alenquer, 18 Lord North

2022 Coral-Eclipse offers

• Paddy Power are giving away free bets to new and existing customers, and all you need is an account. Sign up here.
• Sky Bet are offering new customers free bets when they sign up. You can get them, along with money-back specials and extra places, here.
• Betfair have lots of offers, extra places and money-back offers. Sign up for a new account here.
• To get a free bet from Ladbrokes today, simply sign up to a new account here.
• Don't have a Coral account? They have an offer for new customers here.
• bet365 have a new customer offer available. Sign up here.
• New William Hill customers can claim free bets here and benefit from their money-back offers here.
• 888 Sport have free bets for all new customers. Sign up here.
• If you're a new customer, Tote will give you a free bet. Sign up here to claim.

Read more on the 2022 Coral-Eclipse:

Who wins the Coral-Eclipse? Assessing the key contenders for a Sandown stunner

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