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St Mark's Basilica becomes second-highest scorer after Coral-Eclipse success

St Mark's Basilica: rewarded his followers at Sandown
St Mark's Basilica: rewarded his followers at SandownCredit: Mark Cranham

A four-runner field in the Coral-Eclipse may have drawn moans and groans at the 48-hour stage but they were quickly drowned out by superlatives following St Mark’s Basilica’s perfect performance.

Fears of a tactical race were quickly put to bed as Addeybb set a decent gallop but it was the three-year-old, St Mark's Basilica, who proved far too good with a hefty weight allowance. His success landed 53.1 points for the 21 per cent of stables who chose him, while the admirable Addeybb scored 13.50 points in defeat. Aidan O'Brien's stable star is now the second-highest scorer in the game.

On the same card, Came From The Dark scored 22.75 points for his victory in the Coral Charge. He was slightly unlikely in the Palace House Stakes but confirmed the promise of that run under a late drive from Tom Marquand. Ed Walker trains some nice sprinters but less than one per cent of stables selected the five-year-old.

On the previous day, Euchen Glen's success in the Listed Gala Stakes secured 16.8 points and he represented 0.1 per cent of stables.

The Group 2 Lancashire Oaks was the highlight at Haydock and Alpinista improved again to strike at Group level for the first time. She showed her grit to secure 24.6 points for the 0.2 per cent of stables that selected her. Alpinista was Sir Mark Prescott's first Group winner for four years and more success could be on the cards with the Lillie Langtry Stakes or Yorkshire Oaks both possible targets.

Alpinista: proved she can handle slow ground at Haydock
Alpinista: winner of the Group 2 Lancashire OaksCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

O'Brien enjoyed more top-level success in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud as Broome scored by a length under Colin Keane and provided 32 points for the five per cent of stables who selected him. Bonus points could be on the agenda next time, with the Group 1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes possibly on the agenda.

Bonus race

There is just another week to wait after our last bonus race for the next opportunity for stables to land the 50 point-top up in the Darley July Cup at Newmarket on Saturday.

Defending champion Oxted faces stiff opposition from the likes of Starman and Dragon Symbol, second in the Commonwealth Cup.

LEADING HORSES
1 Poetic Flare
117.30 points
2 St Mark's Basilica 116.80
3 Snowfall 85.20
4 Hurricane Lane 84.75
5 Palace Pier 79.53
6 Adayar 74.50
7 Empress Josephine 70.40
8 Dream Of Dreams 67.45
9 Joan Of Arc 67
10 Mother Earth 64.15

LEADERBOARD
1 MK's 16
463.34
2 Riffiffi No.17 457.34
3 Giddy Up 456.89
4 MK's 18 455.89
5 BURROWS LANE E 451.39
6 MyCatChip 449.39
7 Flyer 448.49
8 Brians Best2 438.63
9 Horse Paradise 435.24
10 Eurasia 1 434.69

LEADING STABLE - MK's 16
Poetic Flare 117.30 points
St Mark’s Basilica 116.80
Palace Pier 79.53
Mother Earth 64.15
Love 52.76
Bolshoi Ballet 17.90
Saffron Beach 14.90
Stradivarius 0
Tiger Moth 0
Uncle Bryn 0


Read more on the Tote Ten To Follow:

Minority who followed Hurricane Lane know they are on the right path

Palace Pier and Love prove a triumph for the popular vote at Royal Ascot

Snowfall brings a Tote Ten To Follow points windfall for a lucky few forecasters

Hurricane Lane's Dante display raises fans' hopes of big points haul to come

Bolger and O'Brien duopoly steers direction of early season bonus points


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Published on 5 July 2021inNews

Last updated 17:19, 5 July 2021

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