Eclipse analysis: why the generational clash in the Sandown showpiece can become very one-sided

The top of the Coral-Eclipse market is dominated by two Group 1-winning four-year-olds, with punters and the layers favouring either Ombudsman or Sosie to successfully concede 10lb in weight-for-age to the likes of French Derby winner Camille Pissarro and perhaps 2,000 Guineas hero Ruling Court. 

At this very early stage of the year in terms of generational clashes, the weight-for-age scale (WFA) sets a very high bar for the older horses, a gulf which narrows as the months go by until the point in October when WFA for the three-year-olds is down to 4lb over the same ten-furlong trip in the Qipco Champion Stakes. 

The history of the Eclipse suggests a coin-flip between the three-year-olds and the older brigade, with 11 wins for the Classic generation in the 23 years they have been represented since 2000, against 12 for horses aged four or over.