Ombudsman on the drift, surprise Oisin Murphy contender backed for the Eclipse and Sandown goes firm in places

A major drift on Ombudsman has continued on Saturday morning for today's Group 1 Coral-Eclipse (3.35) at Sandown and punters are siding with fellow Godolphin hope Ruling Court.

The highest-rated horse in Britain and Ireland was odds-on with some firms overnight but is now as big as 6-4, as the price of Ruling Court continues to shorten.

The 2,000 Guineas winner, who proved no match for Field Of Gold in the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot last month, was backed into 11-2 (from 8) for the weekend highlight and his first test at a mile and a quarter.

Delacroix, the mount of Ryan Moore, is steady as the 4-1 second favourite but stablemate Camille Pissarro has drifted to 11-1 in places having been 7-1 on Friday. The French Derby winner will be ridden by Christophe Soumillon, who also partnered the Ballydoyle star to victory at the Breeders' Cup last year.

Ruling Court will be ridden by Oisin Murphy who on Thursday was fined £70,000 and banned from driving for 20 months after pleading guilty to drink driving. Saturday will be his first time riding domestically since, although he was in action in the US on Friday night, finishing fifth on favourite New Century in the Belmont Derby.

Watch: In The Know Coral-Eclipse preview show

This will be the first time in six starts the Charlie Appleby-trained son of Justify has not been ridden by William Buick. Four-time champion jockey Murphy has had just one ride for Appleby this year, but it was a winner.

Buick is aboard Ombudsman, who posted a highly impressive victory in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes, which led to him becoming the highest-rated horse in Britain with a rating of 128.

Mirsky, another Murphy mount, has also been backed for the Coral Challenge (2.25), one of the day’s big betting races. He is 15-2 (from 12).

Updated at 1pm

Willie Carson: Sosie could cause an upset

It is the 50th anniversary of Coral's sponsorship of the Eclipse and the legendary jockey Willie Carson has looked back on his 1989 victory in the race with the great Nashwan.

"I got it wrong," Carson recalled to Racing TV. "There was a horse of Henry Cecil's [Opening Verse] which went out a long way in front. I had Warning and Indian Skimmer to beat and they weren't showing their faces. I hadn't done my homework on the horse in front and I pressed the panic button, but it was too soon and he was floating at the finish."

The three-time Eclipse winning rider put forward French raider Sosie as his fancy in the six-runner line-up.

He added: "Sosie is interesting, why is he here? Andre Fabre does not bring horses to England to get beat so he must be a danger. Ombudsman is the one to beat but Sosie has won his last two Group 1s and might just be one to upset things."

Posted at 1.15pm

Sandown shower does not alter going after hot Friday

A light shower at Sandown at midday brought 1.4mm of rain, but it has not altered the going which was updated to good to firm, firm in places this morning.

It means conditions at Sandown for its Group 1 Coral-Eclipse card are quicker than for Friday's action, even after the track was watered overnight.

Up to 4mm was put on the track by Andrew Cooper and his team but there are patches of firm ground at the beginning and end of the back straight.

There are eight non-runners on the card, six of which are due to the ground.

Racing at Sandown on Friday took place on ground described as good to firm, good in places but the hot weather continued as temperatures reached as high as 27C.

Cooper said: “We’re good to firm, firm in places. We’ve got patches of firm ground down the back straight and I think that was the right and fair call.

“We had another drying day on Friday with highs of 27C so there’s only so much we can do. We did water after racing, putting on as much as 4mm.”

It is good to firm, good in places for the sprint track as Sandown stages its only 5f Group race of the season, the Coral Charge (1.50).

The ground at Haydock is good for its card headlined by the Group 2 bet365 Lancashire Oaks (2.40).

Racing on Friday took place on ground described as good, good to firm in places but that was removed after some overnight rain. Parts of the track on the round course are now good to soft in places.

Haydock’s clerk of the course Dan Cooper said: “We had 4mm of rain until 11pm and we’re good ground officially. We’ve got a little section on the bend which is good to soft.

“We didn’t irrigate overnight. We only watered the inner course on Wednesday and Friday and that plan looks to have paid off. It’s lovely ground.

“The good to firm is out of the description and it’ll be a pretty dull overcast day with the odd sunny spell towards the end of the card.”

Updated at 1pm

Non-runners

Haydock
3.15 10 My Dream World (blood analysis not normal), 14 Humble Spark (not sound)
3.50 4 Jungle Land (double declaration)

Sandown
2.25 9 Tribal Chief (going)
3.00 1 Bermuda Longtail (rash), 5 Serving With Style (going)
4.45 6 Mighty Boy (going), 8 One More Chrone (going), 10 Life Is Rosie (not eaten up), 12 Love You Back (going)
5.15 8 Nebras (going)

Updated at 11am

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