Eclipse Stakes 2011 – Workforce and So You Think rivalry sets stage, Snow Fairy can upset
The Eclipse Stakes 2011, has attracted a very select group of horses among them are the heavyweights, K Abdullah’s Workforce, and, Aidan O’Brien’s So You Think.
Coral’s Eclipse has been much anticipated for the mega clash between Workforce and So You Think on July 2, 2011.
Derby and Arc winner, Workforce, will be looking to land another Group 1 to his record as he runs on the 10 furlong long at the Coral Eclipse Stakes at Sandown.
It is a perfect opportunity for the ex-Australian colt to atone for his Ascot defeat. So You Think will be all geared up to take on Workforce since the bay colt got caught in the closing stages to finish second in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at the Ascot.
Aidan O’Brien will deploy stable mates Jan Vermeer, Alexander Pope, and, Cape Blanco, which will certainly cushion the most imposing horse in Europe, So You Think, who has 13 to 8 winning odds.
On the other hand, Workforce stands at 15 to 8. He won at the Sandown on 26 May this year and defeated Poet by a length. Workforce was drawn with 8 other horses.
Coral’s Eclipse will probably feature the Queen Anne Stakes winner, Canford Cliffs. Trainer, Richard Hannon has kept his options open regarding the four year old bay colt, and it will either be the Sussex Stakes where he will meet Frankel, or, the Eclipse
Stakes.
By the looks of it, Canford Cliffs’s connections feel confident about taking on Frankel at Goodwin but they will probably accept the tough invitation to take on Workforce and So You Think in the same race.
The options will be laid in front of the owners and whatever they decide will be the future of the champion colt, Canford Cliffs.
It is certainly not going to be a big field but it seems they are going for quality rather than quantity. Snow Fairy, who got withdrawn from the Pretty Polly Stakes, will feature in the race and she by all means is a potential party spoiler for both Workforce
and So You Think.
The four year old bay filly started at Sha Tin racecourse on 12 December 2010 and won the race by defeating Irian. The long lay out could prove to back fire when going against such big names with big reputations but Snow Fairy, with her track record, will
not be fazed by all the hype.
It is already a sensational line-up for the 2 July Coral Eclipse clash at Sandown with some mouth watering clashes, which will draw a huge crowd. Quality over quantity is the order of the day and that is the way it should be.
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