Eclipse Stakes – 22 November 2008

The $100,000 Group 3 Betfair Eclipse Stakes over 2100 metres is the feature race at Sandown this week, and has only attracted a field of nine runners. The racing at Melbourne looks rather ordinary now that the spring carnival is over, and there is a chance of late scratchings with rain forecast for the rest of the week.

The early betting market is very open, with Mission Critical at $4.40, Instructor and Bird Of Fire both at $4.60, and Whos Ya Daddy at $4.80. Mission Critical is a Group 1 winner and his last start on 4 November was a good third behind Annenkov over 1800 metres. He will be carrying topweight of 57kg.Instructor has won six of his fourteen starts and grinds away at the finish of his races. He has won his only start over this distance. It will be his third start in three weeks and he has an excellent record at Sandown. Bird Of Fire has won her last two starts with a Group 3 dead-heat win in the Inglis Mile at Moonee Valley on 25 October, and a Group 2 win in the Matriarch Stakes over 2000 metres on 8 November. It will be her first start beyond 2000 metres and she should have no problems with the distance.

Whos Ya Daddy was scratched from the Ballarat Cup on Wednesday and is a definite hope here after his courageous win in the Kyneton Cup on 5 November.

Seven-year-old mare Soul Diva is currently at $10 in the market. Trainer Tony Noonan is expecting her to vastly improve on her last start tenth in the Matriarch Stakes when the race was not run to suit her. She has only had one start over the 2100 metres and that was over two years ago when she won at Doomben in July 2006 by five and a half lengths.

If the rain continues to fall then Sentire will probably shorten in the betting. He is currently at $14 and has started five times on a heavy track for two wins and a second, including his last start second in the Ballarat Cup on 19 November.

The rank outsider of the field at $51 is six-year-old mare Come Fly With Me who has run twelfth at her last three starts. With only nine starters in this field at least she will do better this time. There is prizemoney down to eighth place, so only one horse will miss out!

by Jo Jackson