Gurkha’s turn of foot can eclipse his rivals

TODAY’S Coral-Eclipse may lack some stardust with one or two high-profile absentees, but it remains a fine race and it will be fascinating to see how THE GURKHA (Sandown, 3.45) copes with tackling his elders for the first time.

By common consent, the son of Galileo was unfortunate in the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot when he failed to catch Guineas winner Galileo Gold in the straight having been set plenty to do.

His conqueror that day was the recipient of a cute tactical ride from Frankie Dettori, but there was enough in the The Gurkha’s performance to suggest his wide- margin French Guineas success was no fluke and he can take another step up the ladder this afternoon.

Unfortunately, the layers are taking no chances with his price but his breeding suggests there will be more to come over 10 furlongs and, if he can utilise that trademark change of gear, he will prove a very tough adversary with underfoot conditions likely to suit.

The ground is the issue for Time Test, who has been allowed to take his chance despite arguably wanting genuine summer conditions to display his optimum form.

My Dream Boat, already a winner at Sandown this term, took advantage of a Prince Of Wales’s Stakes which rather fell apart when hot favourite A Shin Hikari was a spent force turning for home.

The ground will be of no issue to Clive Cox’s four-year-old and it will be fascinating to see how he copes with The Gurkha if the selection can tap into the turn of foot which was so in evidence in Deauville.