Leung Ho Yin, Simon's Bio
Simon is a well respected full-time thoroughbred racing commentator specializing in overseas international racing. Bringing with him a wealth of racing knowledge, Simon is the host and race caller for the overseas simulcast programme since 2008/09 season. He is currently the presenter on several racing television programmes including, ‘Banker’, ‘Racing Horizon’ and ‘Horse Racing – Results’.

Sandown Racecourse – Track Analysis (Eclipse Stakes Day):

Located beautifully on the southwest part of London, the venerated Sandown Racecourse, an oval-shaped, right-handed, turf-only circuit measuring approximate 2615m once around. It features in addition a 1010m chute that streaks right through the midfield, caters for straight contests. In general, it is a course much tighter in track width when compared with Ascot.

For the featured 1990m Eclipse Stakes, the field will travel an extended yet levelled 1000m backstretch before hitting a tight turn, where horses literally have to take an abrupt stop, switch leads for the turn, then accelerate again, and those trying to brave a wide move would concede quite a good deal of ground. Moreover, upon turning for home, a gruelling approximate 800m stretch run will promptly present itself, and with the first 600m of it going slightly uphill, a protracted drive all the way from that final turn to the finish is simply no easy task. Instead, riders would often save enough horse underneath, and push the button with about 300m to go, in order to sustain a strong momentum.

Meanwhile, for the Esher Stakes, where the starting gate is positioned right in front of the grandstand, the field will commence their 3245m trip travelling through 600m of homestretch for the first time to reach a knoll round the first turn – the highest point of the entire course – then take another right-hander by the 1800m start, all the while bracing for quite a series of bends and undulations. Then through a levelled 900m backstretch, runners will meet that wicked final bend once again before hitting the top of the homestretch. By contrast, the 1600m Distaff Stakes is a much more straightforward affair, where fillies and mares will hit the turn after about 800m of backstretch; and for the 1009m Sprint Stakes, the field will charge full-throttle towards the knoll, across the midfield, on a slight incline, and track bias is generally negligible.

In the 2017 running of the Eclipse Stakes, when the turf was listed as good to firm, the eventual tierce – ULYSSES, BARNEY ROY and DESERT ENCOUNTER – were all held back early; then rallying mid-stretch in tandem from out wide, ULYSSES barely held off the late challenge of BARNEY ROY to score by a nose.

With sunny weather extending towards the weekend in the London area, the turf for this year’s renewal of the Eclipse Stakes Day could be lightning fast; and as such, forwardly-placed runners would get a further boost in their chances.

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