Sandown Coral-Eclipse tips: Derby winner City Of Troy to confirm class, Ghostwriter leads the chase

15:35 Sandown: Coral-Eclipse Stakes  (1 mile 2 furlongs)

Bookies and punters alike are all over City Of Troy, and why wouldn’t they be after the way he demolished his 15 rivals in the Epsom Derby five weeks ago.

Planet Sport Bet Daily Special: Bet £20+ cash on any runner in the race and if City Of Troy wins by more than 5 lengths, get a £5 Free Bet

That imperious performance laid to rest any lingering doubts about his disappointing season debut in the 2000 Guineas a month earlier, and Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore are sure to have him tuned up again for this one, especially with the benefit of his three-year-old allowance.

City Of Troy’s short price is justified but prohibitive, so if you don’t fancy risking £100 to win £25, then you might be better advised to look for the best each-way prospects likely to fill the minor places, or maybe one to partner the favourite in a forecast. 

Suggested best bet: City Of Troy in the 15:35 at Sandown

There’s certainly plenty of quality among the other seven starters, with Dancing Gemini looking to build on his second place at the French 2000 Guineas and sixth in the Epsom Derby, and it’s worth noting that trainer Roger Teal boasts a profitable record when sending just one runner to a Flat meeting. 

Our primary pick to lead the chasing pack home behind the favourite would have been Jayarebe, but his morning withdrawal makes us lean more towards Ghostwriter, whose early career coincidentally followed a similar path to City Of Troy.

Like the Derby winner, this Clive Cox-trained colt enjoyed a 100 percent record as a juvenile, chalking up three impressive wins, all with plenty in hand, and culminating in holding off eight Group 2 rivals to land the Juddmonte Stakes at Newmarket in September.

He proved he had trained on well over the winter when finishing fourth in the 2000 Guineas (where he beat the underperforming City Of Troy, of course) and occupying the same posiition in the the French Derby at Chantilly last time out five weeks ago.

The withdrawals have reduced each-way options here, but with Richard Kingscote arriving fresh from landing two winners (one for Cox) at Doncaster on Friday, we can expect them to team up effectively here, and although City of Troy might be a speck in the distance in the final stages of this renewal, Ghostwriter looks as capable as any of chasing the favourite home.

Best each-way punt: Ghostwriter each-way in the 15:35 at Sandown

 

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