Twice Over will head to the Coral-Eclipse on Saturday looking to avenge the agonizing defeat suffered by former stablemate Phoenix Tower in last year’s renewal.
The two horses share the same trainer (Henry Cecil) and owner (Khalid Abdullah) and Twice Over has followed the same path taken by Phoenix Tower in the build up to last year’s race. Following the Earl Of Sefton, the Lockinge and the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes, Phoenix Tower then went on to lose by the shortest of margins to Aidan O’Brien’s Mount Nelson in the Group 1 showpiece.
Many people have this year’s renewal of the race down as a much stronger contest, with the four-year-old preparing to face the likes of Guineas and Derby winning hero Sea The Stars, Breeders Cup Turf winner Conduit and the highly regarded Rip Van Winkle. However the owner’s racing manager Teddy Grimthorpe believes their horse can be proud of his last run and he goes to Sandown on Saturday with a chance.
He said: "I don't think he's been unlucky {in his last race}, he looked like he'd done enough to win the Prince Of Wales's and then in the last five strides he is passed by three others and finishes fourth.
"There was nothing unlucky about it, he ran a super race. He is an intended runner in the Eclipse at this stage. He's been in very good nick and came out of Ascot really well, but will have to step up again to win."
The layers think that Twice Over goes into the race with it all to do and he is currently a best priced 16/1(PaddyPower) to win Saturday’s feature. With it looking likely he will have ground conditions his way, Sea The Stars is strong in the market at 10/11 with William Hill with Conduit and Rip Van Winkle both a best priced 4/1 with PaddyPower.