Doyle eyes another star prize as Barney Roy gets Sandown green light

James Doyle is hoping to maintain his midsummer momentum after it was confirmed on Wednesday that St James's Palace Stakes winner Barney Roy will step up to a mile and a quarter for the first time in Saturday's Coral-Eclipse Stakes.

Plans for Godolphin's colt were uncertain until Wednesday lunchtime, with Sunday's Prix Jean Prat at Chantilly under strong consideration, and Doyle was delighted when told connections had opted for the Sandown race, which he won in 2013 on Al Kazeem.

Doyle, who added Gold Cup success on Big Orange to Barney Roy's triumph to make it such a memorable Royal Ascot for him, said: "It's great news that Barney is going for the Eclipse and I'm looking forward to riding him over a trip he's given every indication he'll stay.

"It looks quite a strong race, as it usually is, but he should have a good chance."

He added: "Things are going well and Royal Ascot, where I was lucky to bag a couple of big ones, was phenomenal. Godolphin had a great week, and it was nice to be part of the Gold Cup win too, as that's a race we all want to win."

Trainer Richard Hannon admitted he had been tempted by the Jean Prat, but he too is looking forward to seeing what Barney Roy might be capable of over the longer trip.

He said: "We debated it thoroughly with Godolphin and weighed up all the angles but agreed the Eclipse is a more prestigious race to have on a colt's CV when he goes to stud, and we get a significant weight pull from the older horses."

Hannon's 2014 2,000 Guineas winner Night Of Thunder finished eighth of nine behind Mukhadram when fancied for the Eclipse and never ran over the trip again, reverting to a mile and winning the following year's Lockinge after his sale to Godolphin.

Barney Roy will also have the option of returning to a mile, but Hannon is optimistic about his stamina.

He said: "It's a nice race for him on a nice track, and although the undulations worry me slightly he'll hopefully settle early and relax, and then come home well. I hope he'll get the trip, but he can always drop back to a mile for the Jacques Le Marois."

Barney Roy and Derby fourth Eminent are around the 4-1 mark, while on Wednesday Derby runner-up Cliffs Of Moher continued to firm up as favourite for Saturday's race, with many firms going 2-1 (from 9-4), but the main activity centred around Jack Hobbs, also owned by Godolphin but a major disappointment when favourite for the Prince of Wales's Stakes.

Although Coral were already a relatively cautious 8-1 on Wednesday morning, from as big as 20-1 in places on Monday, the remaining 12-1 with other firms disappeared and he is no bigger than 10-1 now.

Jack Hobbs: the Sheema Classic winner has been popular ante-postCredit: Edward Whitaker

The five-year-old's trainer John Gosden is reportedly hoping Sandown catches a thunderstorm, but clerk of the course Andrew Cooper cannot be certain the track will get any of the rain that is possible on Thursday morning, which is likely to be the last of the week.

Cooper reported on Wednesday: "On such a hot day, today would normally be a solid day's watering, but it hasn't been because we're in quite a good place and have a showery forecast.

"The potential is there for showers in the south-east, and some will be heavy, but it's only 50-50 probably and my policy is to get the track in a position where it's not going to be too quick if it doesn't rain.

"We did enough in the early part of the week for us to leave the ground as good, good to firm in places, which is where we want to be.

"If the rain doesn't materialise we still have tomorrow afternoon and evening, or after racing on Friday, to step back in if we need to."

Wearing his head-of-racing hat, Cooper is "thrilled" at how the Eclipse is shaping up.

He said: "It's a fascinating Eclipse. Before we saw the five days I sensed we might have a strong three-year-old presence, which isn't always the case, but for once I wasn't sure where the older challengers were going to come from.

"The race can take different guises and I was very pleasantly surprised to see such a good balance, as that's what the Eclipse is all about. It's that first testing of the waters of the two generations."

Coral-Eclipse card, form and betting