Ghaiyyath wins Coral-Eclipse Stakes at Sandown

Ghaiyyath has won the Coral-Eclipse Stakes at Sandown 2020. William Buick rode the 9-4 horse Ghaiyyath who is trained by Charlie Appleby.

After the Coral-Eclipse Stakes, jockey William Buick said “He’s got a huge cruising speed and he knows how to use it. We were obviously concerned about Enable, but it was her first run of the season and I’m sure she’ll improve. He’s a joy to ride and a very, very good horse. As a five-year-old he’s mature physically and mentally – he’s becoming the finished article. I think a mile and a quarter will be his optimum trip – he’s very fast. Sometimes when you ride him over a mile and a half you’re always worried the last furlong is going to be a long one, but he keeps going”. 

Winning trainer Charlie Applyby said “This year he seems to be taking his races better. We toyed with the idea of going for the Prince of Wales’s Stakes [at Royal Ascot] after the Coronation Cup, but we thought we’d give ourselves an extra couple of weeks and we know this track can favor a frontrunner. The Juddmonte International at York would be up there [for his next race] but you don’t beat Enable having an easy run, so we’ll see where we are over the next week and then decide whether he needs a bit more time.”

Enable was the favorite horse to win the race, ridden by Frankie Dettori and trained by John Gosden. After the race Gosden said “We know Ghaiyyath and as I warned everybody, it is a great frontrunners’ track, Sandown. If he gets free on the front, as he is a fabulous horse, you are never going to get to him. Frankie said that in the last half-furlong, she just needed it, so he looked after her. We knew coming [into the race] we were 85%, and you are not going to beat a frontrunning horse like that around here.”

From The Horse Exchange Team – Congratulations to Ghaiyyath and all his connections.