Eclipse S. | Horse Racing Free Tips

Four-time Group 1 winner Addeybb (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}) traveled down the road for a racecourse gallop at Newmarket on Friday in preparation for next weekend's G1 Eclipse S. at Sandown, but trainer William Haggas insisted the 7-year-old gelding will only run if 'soft' is in the going description.

“He hasn't run since Sydney in April so it was nice to get him away,” said Haggas. “It wasn't trying to get him fitter, it was just a mental thing as much as a physical thing. When you are looking at summer racing you need to be lucky to get rain on the day to make it as soft as he likes it. Running in the Eclipse will depend on how much rain falls. There is a balance between keeping training him and not running him. That's difficult.

“We hope very much that it will be very soft for the Eclipse but I very much doubt it will be. If the word soft is in the going he will probably run as he needs to run. Good to soft is the quickest I would run him on.”

Addeybb recorded his first two Group 1 wins at last year's Sydney autumn carnival in the Ranvet S. and Queen Elizabeth S., and relished the soft ground when taking the G1 Champion S. at Ascot in October. Haggas insisted the chestnut's title-defending win in this year's Queen Elizabeth over good ground was down to his class.

“He loves travelling and really enjoys it,” the trainer said. “He had a great spell in Australia this year on ground that wasn't soft enough for him but he tries hard. If the conditions had been like they are here he wouldn't have run. He can't take too many races on fastish ground. Summer ground is not really for him. Summer soft is different to autumn and spring soft when it is proper soft so Champions Day is right up his street as he loves that heavy ground. We sort of have to work our season around that.”

Should the ground rule Addeybb out of the Eclipse, Haggas has an able stand-in in the form of Shadwell's G3 Hampton Court S. winner Mohaafeth (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), whose ground preferences are quite contrasting to his elder stablemate's.

“It is very possible Mohaafeth could run as he wants quick ground so we will see,” Haggas said. “I've not worked him yet so we will see what he is like. He was very good at Ascot.”

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Dual French Classic winner St Mark's Basilica (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) looks unlikely to have a rematch this summer with Poetic Flare (Ire) (Dawn Approach {Ire}), with St Mark's Basilica set to target 10-furlong features like the July 3 G1 Eclipse S., Aug. 18 G1 Juddmonte International and Sept. 11 G1 Irish Champion S.

The Coolmore partners' St Mark's Basilica has gone unbeaten in three runs since taking last year's G1 Dewhurst S., adding the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains over a mile on May 16 and stepping up to 10.5 furlongs to take the G1 Prix du Jockey Club three weeks later. He had the G1 2000 Guineas winner Poetic Flare back in sixth in the Poulains, and that colt's owner/breeder/trainer Jim Bolger indicated after Poetic Flare's latest win in the G1 St James's Palace S. at Royal Ascot that the colt would stick to a mile for races like the G1 Sussex S. and G1 Prix Jacques le Marois this summer.

“St Mark's is in the mix for the Eclipse; something like that will be the plan for him,” said trainer Aidan O'Brien. “I'd have thought the Eclipse, the Juddmonte and the Irish Champion are all the races we'll be looking at for him. I think at the moment we're happy to keep him at 10 furlongs, but obviously he could drop back. I think that's the sort of plan we're thinking of at the moment.”

O'Brien also provided an update on last week's G1 Prince Of Wales's S. winner Love (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). Last year's champion 3-year-old filly could meet St Mark's Basilica over 10 furlongs this summer, but also has options over 12 furlongs including the G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. and the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

“Love is good. We're happy with her,” said O'Brien. “Obviously she's done very little since Wednesday, she's only back cantering again now, but we're very happy with her. To do that after a long break, we were delighted. She hadn't had a run since the Yorkshire Oaks so we were delighted. Anything over 10 furlongs or a mile and a half is her all over. She's in the mix for all those types of races now, anything over that trip. It's great to have her started again and now we can look at all those races.”

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