The Gurkha to face six in the Eclipse The Gurkha heads a seven-strong field for the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown on Saturday. Aidan O'Brien has saddled five previous winners of the Group One event, with Giant's Causeway (2000), Hawk Wing (2002) and most recently So You Think (2011) among those on the roll of honour for the master of Ballydoyle. The Gurkha, so impressive in winning the French 2000 Guineas, had to make do with the runner-up spot behind Galileo Gold in the St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot and now steps up to mile and a quarter for the first time. The Eclipse traditionally provides three-year-olds with a first opportunity to take on their elders at Group One level in Britain. The Gurkha is one of three participants from the Classic generation along with stable companion Bravery and supplemented Godolphin runner Hawkbill, who won his fifth race in succession when landing the Tercentenary Stakes just over a fortnight ago. Clive Cox's four-year-old My Dream Boat arguably sets the standard having landed the Prince of Wales's Stakes at the Royal meeting. The Roger Charlton-trained Time Test bids for his first victory at the highest level. The Dubawi colt missed his intended reappearance in the Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh on account of unsuitable ground, instead turning out at Sandown four days later and running out an impressive winner of the Brigadier Gerard Stakes. Testing terrain subsequently ruled him out of a clash with My Dream Boat at Royal Ascot and with the course at Sandown waterlogged at the start of the week, it did not look promising, but an improvement the weather has buoyed Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager to owner Khalid Abdullah. "When we took him to Ireland for the Tattersalls Gold Cup, the ground was genuinely soft and we didn't think he would enjoy that," Grimthorpe told At The Races. "It was a similar situation at Ascot, especially over the first five furlongs of the mile and a quarter - it was pretty soft. "We've got to the stage now where it's probably going to be good to soft (at Sandown) and that will certainly be within his scope. "We're looking forward to going." With regular partner Ryan Moore set to ride The Gurkha, Pat Smullen will get the leg up on Time Test. Smullen rode the four-year-old once last season when he finished fourth in the Juddmonte International at York. Time Test's pacemaker Countermeasure and John Gosden's Western Hymn complete the line-up.
