Saturday's G1 Coral-Eclipse at Sandown is shaping up to be the race of the season so far after a plethora of Group 1 winners were confirmed on Monday, headed by the John and Thady Gosden-trained Ombudsman.
The son of Night Of Thunder came of age at Royal Ascot when winning the G1 Prince Of Wales's Stakes and only has one defeat on his record from six career starts. That came over this course and distance in May when Almaqam (Lope De Vega) produced a dominant performance from the front to win the G3 Brigadier Gerard Stakes, ultimately landing the spoils by a length and three-quarters from the penalised Ombudsman.
Ed Walker's charge could be in opposition again on Saturday, while last year's G1 Champion Stakes winner Anmaat (Awtaad) is another familiar foe in contention for a rematch with Ombudsman, although his connections are keeping a close eye on the forecast before committing to a quick reappearance after his runner-up finish in the Prince Of Wales's Stakes.
“He needs rain to run,” said trainer Owen Burrows. “We're having a look and there are a few showers about Wednesday and Thursday, but he would need a drop of rain. We're on weather-watch a bit, so he's by no means a definite runner.
“The showers are so hit and miss. It feels like you could get a real good thunderstorm as it is so hot and muggy, but you might only get 2-4mm and Andrew Cooper [clerk of the course] would be putting all that and more on with watering, so that's not going to make much difference.
“He's come out of Ascot well, but this is just two and a half weeks later, so I wouldn't want to be running him on fast ground again.”
Andre Fabre has had this race as a target for some time with Sosie (Sea The Stars), who is set to bid for a third consecutive win at the top level, having already won the Prix Ganay and Prix d'Ispahan in two previous starts this season.
Charlie Appleby's 2,000 Guineas winner Ruling Court (Justify) could aim to bounce back from his defeat in the G1 St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot, while Aidan O'Brien has three members of the Classic generation to choose from, with his Prix du Jockey Club hero Camille Pissarro (Wootton Bassett) potentially being joined by beaten Derby favourite Delacroix (Dubawi) and Expanded (Wootton Bassett).
Jessica Harrington's Group 1-winning juvenile Hotazhell (Too Darn Hot) and Ralph Beckett's Derby fifth Stanhope Gardens (Ghaiyyath) could also represent the three-year-olds, while White Birch (Ulysses) makes up the 11-strong list of contenders after his fourth-place finish when trying to defend his G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup crown.
The sponsors have installed Ombudsman as their 13/8 favourite, ahead of Sosie at 9/2.
Trinity College Heading to Hamburg
Away from Sandown, Aidan O'Brien will also be represented in Sunday's G1 Idee 156th Deutsches Derby after the stable's G3 Hampton Court Stakes winner Trinity College was supplemented on Monday.
O'Brien will be trying to break more new ground with the son of Dubawi, who followed his fourth-place finish in the Prix du Jockey Club at Chantilly with an impressive success at Royal Ascot. Having already won the Prix du Jockey Club with Camille Pissarro, before Lambourn won both the Derby at Epsom and the Irish equivalent at the Curragh, O'Brien is on the cusp of completing a historic four-timer if 'TDN Rising Star' Trinity College can add Sunday's Classic to that list.
No trainer has won those four races in the same year since the Deutsches Derby was opened to overseas runners in 1993.
The Karl Burke-trained Convergent (Fascinating Rock), who was last seen finishing third behind Lambourn in the G3 Chester Vase, is another potential overseas raider, along with Richard Hannon's Derby eighth Nightime Dancer (Ghaiyyath) and Tim Donworth's French challenger The Sheriff (Almanzor).
Meanwhile, the home defence features key trial winners such as Zuckerhut (Almanzor) and Juwelier (Wootton Bassett). Zuckerhut was an authoritative winner of the G2 Union-Rennen at Cologne, by a length from Hochkonig (Polish Vulcano), while Juwelier faces a rematch with Path Of Soldier (Soldier Hollow) after denying that rival by a short head in the G3 Derby-Trial at Baden-Baden.
Andreas Wohler is responsible for two of the possible 20 runners as he seeks a sixth success in the Deutsches Derby, namely Delgardo (Best Solution), the winner of the Listed Derby Trial at Dusseldorf, and G3 Diana-Trial heroine Lady Charlotte (Golden Horn), the sole filly confirmed for the race.
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