Aidan O’Brien has had Constitution River, Hawk Mountain and Flushing Meadows declared for Saturday’s Coral-Eclipse at Sandown, with Ryan Moore’s French Derby winner handed stall three in the £1million Group One.
The final field turns what was already a major mid-season test into a sharp Ballydoyle tactical play. Constitution River and Hawk Mountain finished first and second in the Prix du Jockey Club, and O’Brien now runs both rather than splitting them after Hawk Mountain’s German Derby option was passed over.
Hawk Mountain will break from stall two under Wayne Lordan, while outsider Flushing Meadows is in stall seven and is expected to give the race an honest tempo. The draw leaves Owen Burrows’ Gethin on the inside in stall one, a position that could be helpful if he breaks cleanly but awkward if the Ballydoyle pair hold their places early.
Sandown Set For A Ballydoyle Pace Test
The seven-runner line-up also includes Saddadd, A Boy Named Susie and King’s Gambit, giving the race the generational clash Sandown wants: Classic-season three-year-olds against older, hardened 10-furlong horses.
O’Brien is chasing a fourth straight Coral-Eclipse and another extension of his record in the race. Sporting Life’s Coral-Eclipse declaration update confirmed Constitution River and Hawk Mountain among the seven declared runners, with Flushing Meadows joining them as the third Ballydoyle representative.
For Moore, the draw removes one obvious complication. For the rest, the question is whether Sandown’s first turn becomes a trap or an opportunity.
