ECLIPSE JOY FOR CECIL-TRAINED TWICE OVER

Article taken from the EBN.

Khalid Abdulla’s homebred Twice Over made much of the running to land the Gr.1 Eclipse Stakes at Sandown Park yesterday.

The five-year-old son of OBSERVATORY disputed the lead early on with Dar Re Mi (Singspiel) before taking matters into his own hands. He went clear in the straight before idling, giving Sri Putra (OASIS DREAM) the opportunity to get within half a length of him, though it later transpired that he had lost a shoe during the race.

Twice Over (OBSERVATORY) entered the winner’s enclosure to rapturous applause for his hugely popular trainer Henry Cecil, for whom he was a fourth Eclipse winner and the first for 32 years.

This was Twice Over’s second win at the highest level, following his victory last autumn in the Gr.1 Champion Stakes, and Cecil nominated the Gr.1 Juddmonte International, the Gr.1 Champion Stakes again and another trip to Dubai for the World Cup, in which he finished unplaced this year, as possible future targets.

He is out of the Listed Oaks Trial winner Double Crossed (Caerleon), who is a half-sister to the dam of the Gr.1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud winner Passage of Time (DANSILI), Gr.2 King Edward VII Stakes winner Father Time (DANSILI) and the dual Listed winner Timepiece (ZAMINDAR), from the family of the Gr.1 Prix du Moulin winner All At Sea (Riverman).

Date: 04 July 2010