Aidan O’Brien claimed his record-extending ninth Coral Eclipse Stakes courtesy of a late thrust from Delacroix to overhaul Ombudsman in a thrilling finish.
In a race widely known as the first battle of the generations, Aidan O'Brien's Delacroix was sent off a well-backed 3/1 chance in the hands of Ryan Moore, who elected to ride the disappointing Epsom Derby favourite over his stablemate and Prix du Jockey Club hero Camille Pissarro.
Much to many people's surprise, Delacroix found himself last of the sextet as the field turned for home, with Ryan Moore struggling to angle his mount out into a clear passage as stablemate Camille Pissarro fought for the same ground.
All the while, William Buick, who made what looked like a race-winning move when taking Ombudsman to sit handily at an early stage, committed his mount for home.
What. A. Race
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) July 5, 2025
Delacroix storms home to win the 50th running of the @Coral-Eclipse.
That's three successive Eclipses for Aidan O'Brien and Ryan Moore @coolmorestud | @Ballydoyle pic.twitter.com/MTBgJeGGTP
Backers of the 6/4 market leader would certainly have been confident as John and Thady Gosden's Prince Of Wales's scorer headed up the Sandown hill with a clear advantage. However, neither Delacroix or Ryan Moore was in any mood to give up the ghost and under an all-action famous Moore drive, the striking son of Dubawi quickened up to move into contention.
It was from this point on that, yet another famous battle began to unfold. Ballydoyle vs Godolphin. Ryan Moore vs William Buick. Three-year-old vs four-year-old. Dubawi vs Night Of Thunder. Aidan O'Brien vs John and Thady Gosden. Delacroix vs Ombudsman.
The duo set off into the closing stages to fight it out. It looked as though the line might come in time for a gallant Ombudsman, but Delacroix continued to glide over the turf, making huge inroads into the Godolphin horses lead with every stride, before ultimately getting up in the shadows of the post to land the spoils by a head.
O'Brien, who was saddling his third successive victory in the contest following the wins of Paddington and City Of Troy, said: "Just incredible, I thought Ryan was going to make the running on him.
"Obviously, you don't tell Ryan what to do, but you listen to what he's saying, so when I saw it, all changing, I didn't know what would happen or what to make of it.
"He ended up where he did and it just kept ringing in my mind that during the week Ryan said to me 'Aidan, I think this horse is a miler', and I always thought he was a mile-and-a-quarter horse.
"As the race went on that was what was ringing in my head, is he a miler or is he a mile-and-a-quarter horse, but obviously Ryan stuck to his judgement because he kept calm and had one go.
"What he did in the last two furlongs looked very different. It was a very good race, the second horse is a very good horse and when you get a four-year-old rated as high as that, you need a three-year-old that's a bit different to beat them.
"Ryan said he changed plans four times in the race today. He found himself where he was, but he was calm and collected and clinical.
"They went, then they steadied and then they went again. It was very difficult for Ryan, but it was a masterful ride."
Future plans look to be up in the air for Delacroix at this current stage, although Paddy Power reacted to the performance by cutting the son of Dubawi to 5/1 (from 16s) for the Juddmonte International at York in August. The contest could throw up a mouthwatering renewal with Field Of Gold, who is currently the 5/4 market leader, also currently entered alongside stablemate Ombudsman, who is a 4/1 shot.
On the importance of Delacroix being by Dubawi, the master of Ballydoyle said: "I can't tell you how important Delacroix is. The lads (owners Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith and John Magnier) have been looking for a Dubawi all their life and he is out of a champion.
"He is a total outcross for all the mares and has power and strength – a beautiful big horse."
