Stars eclipses Sandown rivals

Sea The Stars stamped his class on the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown Park with a thrilling success.The pacemakers set a furious early gallop and Mick Kinane committed for home with two furlongs to travel on the 2000 Guineas and Derby winner (4-7 favourite), who was chased into the closing stages by his old adversary Rip Van Winkle.The Ballydoyle challenger put in a determined bid for glory, but Sea The Stars was always pulling out more and won the Group One prize by a length, with a further four and a half to Conduit in third.Sea The Stars was emulating the mighty Nashwan, who was the last Derby winner to follow up in the Eclipse back in 1989, and had also won the 2000 Guineas.Kinane said: "He is so quick out of the stalls with his pace and it was almost as if I hit the front too soon, but it was hard for me to stop him."When the second horse came at me, he just picked up. You are never going to win by more than two lengths - he just does enough. I was hoping to be in front at the furlong marker because I know he quickens really well and he dosses when he gets there."You don't get many like him, he has so much early pace it is unbelievable."Trainer John Oxx added: "These are the moments that keep you going. Mick said he doesn't kill himself in front, so I knew something would come at him, but I did like the way he stretched away when he was tackled. "He can go any distance and tanks along early on - any speed he could follow and I don't think he has a best distance. He can do them all. We'll have a think about where he goes next. The Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown would be a major objective."We have to figure out what to do in the meantime. There's the King George and the International at York, those are the two options. Although he is in the Arc, that isn't being seriously considered and the ground may well rule that out."