Fabre relishing ‘proper competition’ for Sosie in the Eclipse

Andre Fabre is looking forward to bringing Sosie to England for what should be a thrilling clash of the generations in the Coral-Eclipse.

The Sandown highlight is traditionally the first time the Classic generation meet with their elders and this year is no different.

Currently the favourite is John and Thady Gosden’s hugely impressive Prince of Wales’s Stakes winner Ombudsman, ahead of Sosie, the winner of three Group Ones and fourth in last year’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

Representing the Classic form this season is Aidan O’Brien’s Camille Pissarro, winner of the French Derby.

“Sosie is still on target for the Eclipse, I’m very happy with him,” said Fabre.

“He’s shown good form this season and the owners are keen to run him.”

Looking at the likely opposition, Fabre said: “I was very impressed with Ombudsman, he looks a very nice colt and did it well.

“It could be a small field, we’ll see. The Prix du Jockey Club winner could run too and he looks a nice horse.

“It should be a good race, that is what you expect, proper competition.”

Another top-class middle-distance performer who remains in contention for the Eclipse is the Owen Burrows-trained Anmaat, winner of last season’s Champion Stakes and best of the rest behind Ombudsman at the Royal meeting last week.

Angus Gold, racing manager for owners Shadwell, said: “We were delighted with Anmaat’s run in the Prince of Wales’s, he travelled very well again, came to win his race and was beaten by what looked an outstanding horse to me who quickened better than him.

“I don’t think we have any excuses. You could say he’d prefer easier ground, but that’s not the reason he got beaten – he got beaten because a better horse beat him.

“I spoke to Owen yesterday (Monday) and he said the horse seems in good shape. The Eclipse certainly comes soon enough for a horse we know can handle soft ground better than some, so we don’t want to put him through the mill right through the summer in every top Group One and find we don’t have a horse left in the autumn.

“We’ll monitor him and the ground and the race. The early signs are good that he’s come out of it OK, but he is a seven-year-old and we’ve got to do the right thing by him.

“You’ve got the Juddmonte International and the Irish Champion and obviously the Champion Stakes again later in the year, so we’ll look at all of them. He’s a star and the only top horse we’ve got at the moment, so we’ve got to look after him a bit.”