Ulysses made the most of his experience as the only course-and-distance winner at Sandown by edging out Godolphin’s Barney Roy in a thrilling photo finish in the 217th running of the Eclipse Stakes.
The two finished well clear from the rest of the field over the mile and-a-quarter trip, with the Michael Stoute-trained four-year-old son of Galileo under champion jockey Jim Crowley edging out the Godolphin runner by a nose on Saturday.
Ulysses had won from Deauville and My Dream Boat in the Group 2 Gordon Richards Stakes in April and then ran a solid third in the Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot.
The result provided Stoute a record-equaling sixth Eclipse win, a record that had stood for 94 years for Alec Taylor Jr, who saddled his winners between 1909 and 1923.
Aidan O’Brien’s Taj Mahal set the early pace before Decorated Knight under Frenchman Olivier Peslier took over approaching the furlong mark.
Crowley made his challenge on Ulysses almost at the same time to take over the running and was soon joined by Doyle on Barney Roy in the last 150 metres as the two went head-to-head to the finishing line.
Crowley who rode Ulysses at Royal Ascot said that experience had served them well.
“I was just delighted to get back on this horse after finishing third aboard him at Royal Ascot,” he said. “We learnt a little about each other that day and this was a fantastic performance.
“It was a little bit rough early on but we were away from that and he settled well, whereas he was a bit fresh with me at Ascot.
“I got a fantastic feeling off him at Ascot and possibly got there a little bit too soon there, so that was on my mind a little bit today.”
Stoute, whose last success in the race was 10 years ago with Notnowcato, said he was not confident of victory as he waited for the result.
“He’s run brilliantly. But I was worried at the finish,” he said. “I just felt he was holding on, holding on, but I was watching from a poor angle and I just didn't know.
“A lot of people congratulated me and said 'Well done, well done', but I said let's just hold on.
“He’s run well on plenty of occasions and when he was well beaten in the [2016] Derby he nearly got knocked over twice.”
Richard Hannon would also have been heartened by Barney Roy pushing the winner all the way in his first step up over the extended distance of 2,000 metres for the first time in five career starts. The three-year-old Godolphin colt's record now stands at three wins and two second-place finishes.
Mane points for safe home colouring
- Natural and grey hair takes colour differently than chemically treated hair
- Taking hair from a dark to a light colour should involve a slow transition through warmer stages of colour
- When choosing a colour (especially a lighter tone), allow for a natural lift of warmth
- Most modern hair colours are technique-based, in that they require a confident hand and taught skills
- If you decide to be brave and go for it, seek professional advice and use a semi-permanent colour
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
RESULTS
2pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 40,000 (Dirt) 1,200m
Winner: AF Senad, Nathan Crosse (jockey), Kareem Ramadan (trainer)
2.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 40,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner: Ashjaan, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel.
3pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 40,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: Amirah, Conner Beasley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
3.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 40,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: Jap Al Yaasoob, Szczepan Mazur, Irfan Ellahi.
4pm: Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Cup Prestige Handicap (PA) Dh 100,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Jawaal, Fernando Jara, Majed Al Jahouri.
4.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 40,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Manhunter, Ryan Curatolo, Mujeeb Rahman.
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Fight card
1. Bantamweight: Victor Nunes (BRA) v Siyovush Gulmamadov (TJK)
2. Featherweight: Hussein Salim (IRQ) v Shakhriyor Juraev (UZB)
3. Catchweight 80kg: Rashed Dawood (UAE) v Khamza Yamadaev (RUS)
4. Lightweight: Ho Taek-oh (KOR) v Ronald Girones (CUB)
5. Lightweight: Arthur Zaynukov (RUS) v Damien Lapilus (FRA)
6. Bantamweight: Vinicius de Oliveira (BRA) v Furkatbek Yokubov (RUS)
7. Featherweight: Movlid Khaybulaev (RUS) v Zaka Fatullazade (AZE)
8. Flyweight: Shannon Ross (TUR) v Donovon Freelow (USA)
9. Lightweight: Mohammad Yahya (UAE) v Dan Collins (GBR)
10. Catchweight 73kg: Islam Mamedov (RUS) v Martun Mezhulmyan (ARM)
11. Bantamweight World title: Jaures Dea (CAM) v Xavier Alaoui (MAR)
12. Flyweight World title: Manon Fiorot (FRA) v Gabriela Campo (ARG)
