Rip Van Winkle rates a great each-way bet at 9/2 for Saturday's Coral-Eclipse at Sandown.(credit:
Charlesfred)
Rip Van Winkle is the mythical tale of a man who heads for the mountains to escape the nagging of his other half, only to settle down under a tree and fall asleep. He wakes up twenty years later and returns to his village.
It is now the punters’ turn to wake up to the 9/2 offered by William Hill on Rip Van Winkle finally living up to his hype and bagging Saturday’s Coral Eclipse at Sandown.
Although Rip Van Winkle has been beaten in all three attempts at the highest level, it is not hard to see why the horse demands so much attention and why he is rated so highly at Ballydoyle.
In all three of his runs when pitched into Group 1 level, he has seemingly left the race with genuine excuses. He appears to be a horse with so much raw talent, but has not yet been able to show it on the track.
Following his fast finishing fourth, after an interrupted preparation for the race, in the 2000 Guineas, he was sent to Epsom for the Investec Derby despite huge concerns over the trip and his ability to handle the track. He ran much better than many expected at Epsom, staying on once again at the end, albeit in a race run at a slow time. Edging left even when switched to the right towards the final furlong, he could have probably grabbed second with a bit more concentration.
Johnny Murtagh has raved about the son of Galileo ever since the day he first saddled him, describing it as one of the best horses he has ever ridden. The jockey will not be onboard on Saturday, he is seeing out a ban he received at Royal Ascot, but the horse will head to the Eclipse over 1mile2f, a trip that will surely prove to be his best.
Sea The Stars will be an unbelievably tough nut to crack. Oozing unbelievable amounts of class in the 2000 Guineas and the Derby, he appears to be one of the sport’s true greats, but that is reflected in his price and he is currently a best priced 11/10 with William Hill. There are no real reasons to suggest he will be beaten on Saturday, it too could prove to be his optimum trip, however it is not long since emphatic Derby winner Motivator was beaten in this race by a Ballydoyle horse that he had recently thrashed at Epsom. On top of that, his participation is once again ground dependant, something ante-post punters will be wary of after getting their fingers burnt with his withdrawal from the Irish Derby last Sunday.
Conduit has won his races over 1m6f and 1m4f respectively and the 1m2f he will face at Sandown could be too short, while Cima De Triomphe is most definitely on the up, he may not have the class to beat the likes of Sea The Stars. Archipenko is very intriguing and would head into the race with a great chance if he was at his best. His recent two and a half length beating by Presvis at Sha Tin is more than respectable and he makes plenty of appeal to each-way punters at 12/1.
However, for the first time in his life, Rip Van Winkle should have everything in his favour (bar the absence of Johnny Murtagh) and I am happy to give him one more chance to live up to his home reputation. The beauty of the 9/2 offered by William Hill is, should Sea The Stars prove unbeatable once more, the ¼ odds on offer mean that backing Rip Van Winkle each-way guarantees a profit should he place - something he should be capable of doing at the very least.
Coral-Eclipse: Head of the market (William Hill)
Sea The Stars 11/10
Conduit 3/1
Rip Van Winkle 9/2
Cima de Triomphe 7/1