GB: Last year’s Saudi Cup winner Mishriff, a bitter disappointment on his return to Riyadh in February is set to have his first start in five months in the G1 Coral-Eclipse Stakes at Sandown Park on July 2.
The inaugural winner of the $20 million race, the richest in the world, has not run since finishing tailed off when trying to retain his crown in Riyadh in February.
On his return to dirt, the John & Thady Gosden-trained five-year-old was unable to overcome a wide draw this time, recovering from a slow break to press the leaders to halfway before falling away to finish over 80 lengths behind winner Emblem Road.
“They went hard and he got a bit of dirt down his throat,” said Gosden snr. The track had changed a bit – it wasn’t its usual consistency, the jockeys were saying.
“It was riding pretty much like an American track, a bit heavy, and the kickback was much greater this year. It was interesting that the winner came from last to circle the whole field, staying out in the middle.”
Mishriff, who has earned more than $13.9m altogether, holds an entry in the G1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot next week but is likely to bypass that contest in favour of the Eclipse, in which he finished third behind St Mark’s Basilica a year ago.
“He seems in good form now and it is more likely that he will go to the Eclipse Stakes,” Gosden said.
Coral-Eclipse betting (Coral): 5-2 Native Trail, 4 Bay Bridge, Mishriff, 5 Alenquer, 6 Baaeed, Coroebus, 8 Lord North, State Of Rest, 10 Modern Games, Stone Age, 12 Tuesday, 14 Real World, 16 bar.
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