Sandown expecting rain on Tuesday before taking decision on watering for Eclipse meeting

How much rain falls at Sandown on Tuesday morning is likely to be crucial in determining whether officials water the course prior to Saturday's Coral-Eclipse.

The track also races on Friday and on Monday conditions were described as good, good to firm in places.

Clerk of the course Andrew Cooper said: "There's a showery band coming through from the south east, but I don't think it will amount to much and it's Tuesday's rain that has the potential to be more significant.

"It could be raining on and off from daylight until late morning, and just about every forecast you can look at has this down has potentially between 5mm and 10mm of rain.

"We last watered on Friday and left it alone over the weekend and the possibility of that Tuesday rain has since developed. If you'd asked me on Friday, I'd have said it was pretty likely we'd have been watering today because the outlook at that point didn't have any appreciable rain."

Sandown last raced on June 17 and Cooper, speaking just after 2.30pm on Monday, added: "The end of the week is forecast to be quite hot with temperatures Friday and Saturday being flagged up in the high 20s. Whatever happens with this rainfall, you've got that at the end of the week when things, left to their own devices, would dry out. 

Sandown: stages the Coral-Eclipse on SaturdayCredit: Edward Whitaker

"I walked the course this morning and it's good, good to firm in places. It's in good nick and if you were racing on it today you'd be calling it on the fast side of good.

"We'll see what the rain does tomorrow and then take stock, but the volume we get will be key as to what happens and if we saw 1mm or 2mm, which isn't out of the question, you'd probably have to think of stepping back in, but anything 5mm-plus will mean irrigation is not an immediate thought."

Set to line up on Sandown's turf is star older filly Emily Upjohn, who could clash with rising three-year-old Paddington. They were among six horses left in the Eclipse at Monday's forfeit stage. 

Cooper said: "There were 30 horses going into that confirmation stage and you could put a line through a significant number of those for various reasons, including a lot competing at Royal Ascot, but that's not to say you can't run at both as Paddington will possibly show.

"I'm delighted to see him in there as he's the only three-year-old in the mix and that's the unique selling point of the Coral-Eclipse – the generations coming together.

"It was always going to be a single-figure confirmation today in my mind, but we've still some fascinating Group 1 horses and, fingers crossed, as many as possible stay in."

Read these next:

Find out which six horses remain in contention for Saturday's Coral-Eclipse at Sandown   

What's on this week: plenty to savour across Britain and Ireland before Group 1 stars clash in the Eclipse  

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