14,000 ENJOY CORAL-ECLIPSE AT SANDOWN PARK
07/07/2009
The prestigious Coral-Eclipse Day at Sandown Park, which is also Ladies Day, proved to be as popular as ever with a crowd of 14,000 enjoying a great day out in the sun. The feature race of the day, the Group 1 Coral-Eclipse was won by the hot favourite Sea The Stars and the Best Dressed Ladies competition was just as competitive, with Niamh O’Donoghue taking away the prize in the fashion stakes.
Louise Owen, wife of recently signed Manchester United player Michael, was at the course in her official role as Face of the Day, enjoying the racing with her husband and their family. Louise is a lifelong horse enthusiast and is also patron of the Thoroughbred Rehabilitation Centre. Both her and Michael are keen racegoers and they own racehorses which are trained locally to their home in North Wales.
The action on the track saw Sea The Stars, the Epsom Derby winner, take on older horses for the first time and the colt made it look easy, with a comfortable victory over Rip Van Winkle. Sea The Stars was completing the Triple of wins this season, notably the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket, the Investec Derby and the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown Park, a feat which has not been achieved for 20 years. The euphoric reception the horse received on his return to the winner’s enclosure is unlikely to be forgotten, as it was obvious to racegoers that they had just witnessed the crowning of a true champion.
A beautiful day of sunshine provided racegoers with the perfect excuse to get dressed up and come racing and that they did, with the crowd flooding into the Esher venue. The Style Stable was busy throughout the day, with the ladies enjoying the complimentary massages courtesy of Aveda Redchat. There were also make up tips and top ups on offer from House of Fraser, as well as free manicures.
Next up for Sandown Park is three race nights with each evening rounded off by concerts from the international hit bands Simply Red (Wed 22nd July), the Pussy Cat Dolls (Wed 29th July) and Boyzone (Thurs 6th Aug). Tickets are selling fast and should be booked early to avoid disappointment. Visit www.sandown.co.uk or call 01372 47 00 47.
