Guineas winners Ruling Court and Desert Flower head entries for the £1m Coral-Eclipse at Sandown

Charlie Appleby has entered Godolphin’s winners of the 2,000 and 1,000 Guineas last weekend in the £1 million Coral-Eclipse on July 5.

Ruling Court and Desert Flower were among 58 entries, which closed on Tuesday, for what is the richest race to be staged at Sandown.

Since Ghaiyyath landed the Eclipse as a five-year-old for Appleby in 2020, all four winners have come from the Classic generation and Field Of Gold could get the chance to atone for his fast-finishing second to Ruling Court at Newmarket. 

Field Of Gold’s trainers John and Thady Gosden could also be represented by Prix de l'Opera winner Friendly Soul. Damysus, Detain, Nightwalker and Ombudsman were others entered by the stable, which most recently won the Group 1 with Enable in 2019.

Champion Stakes one-two Anmaat and Calandagan are some of the notable older names in contention along with Irish Champion Stakes winner Economics.

Calandagan is one of three possibles for Francis Graffard, who has also entered King George winner Goliath and Map Of Stars. Andre Fabre’s Grand Prix de Paris winner Sosie, who beat Map Of Stars in last month’s Prix Ganay, and the Jerome Reynier-trained Facteur Cheval are other potential participants from France.

The Lion In Winter (left), Ruling Court (blue) and Wimbledon Hawkeye (white cap): entered in the Derby and Coral-EclipseCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

Aidan O’Brien has 15 entered in the Eclipse, for which prize-money has been raised by £250,000 this year. Any late contenders can be supplemented at a cost of £50,000 on Monday, June 30.

Betfred Derby favourite The Lion In Winter could be the main representative for O’Brien, who has been responsible for three of the last four winners, including City Of Troy in 2024, who was backing up success in the Epsom Classic.

This year's Eclipse will be the 50th successive running backed by Coral and their spokesperson David Stevens said: “The Coral-Eclipse is one of the most prestigious Flat races in the calendar and we are incredibly proud of our 50-year association with the race, which makes it the longest-running Group-race sponsorship in the world.

"The prize-money increase to £1m is another landmark moment for the race and the stellar list of initial entries show it remains firmly at the forefront of the minds of leading owners, breeders and trainers across Europe.

“It is the first top-level clash of the generations and that’s something we’re likely to see this year, with the four-year-old pair – Calandagan and Economics – our opening favourites, closely followed by The Lion In Winter, Ruling Court and Field Of Gold, who are all representing the Classic generation.”

Expanded and Henri Matisse were put in the Eclipse by O’Brien but scratched from next month’s Derby at Tuesday’s latest acceptance stage. There are 42 left in the Derby, of whom four contested the 2,000 Guineas – Ruling Court, Tornado Alert, Wimbledon Hawkeye and Green Impact.

O’Brien also scratched Kyprios from the Coronation Cup on Betfred Oaks day, with a Group 1 tilt over a mile and a half with the star stayer likely to be left for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe if at all.

Coral-Eclipse (Sandown, July 5)
Coral: 5 Calandagan, Economics, 6 The Lion In Winter, 8 Field Of Gold, Ruling Court, 10 Anmaat, Map Of Stars, Sosie, 12 Desert Flower, Los Angeles, White Birch, 16 Ghostwriter, Kalpana, Tamfana, Twain, 20 Facteur Cheval, Goliath, Ombudsman, 25 bar

Betfred Derby (3.30 Epsom, June 7)
Betfred: 100-30 The Lion In Winter, 7-2 Ruling Court, 7 Twain, 8 Delacroix, 20 Stanhope Gardens, 25 Hotazhell, 33 bar 

Read these next:

'He’s shown just how good he is' - Ruling Court gives Godolphin a third 2,000 Guineas in four years as Field Of Gold comes up short 

1,000 Guineas star Desert Flower 'the best filly we've had' says Charlie Appleby as phenomenal weekend for Godolphin is completed 

'It's not a good thing for us' - Aidan O'Brien raises potential problem with decision to finalise Derby field a day earlier  

Sign up to receive On The Nose, our essential daily newsletter, from the Racing Post. Your unmissable morning feed, direct to your email inbox every morning.