Eclipse Chaser

That big moment did arrive at Navan on 20 September 2025, and it has been the defining chapter of this six-year-old's career so far. The win rate sits at roughly 1 in every 9 races — not prolific, but not the full picture either. The three placed finishes suggest a horse that is rarely out of the argument, even when it can't quite get its nose in front.

Recent form is worth unpacking. A win, then a fourth, then a twelfth, then two runs where the horse didn't complete — that sequence in reverse tells you something has gone a little sideways since the Navan high point eight months ago. Willie Mullins, who trains Eclipse Chaser from his yard in Muine Bheag, Co Carlow, has been candid about what happened next. After a run in a Grade 3 race — one of the better contests on the calendar — he felt the horse simply ran out of steam. The level may have been a touch too ambitious, and Mullins has suggested he'll pitch the horse into slightly easier company for now. He also mentioned that faster, drier ground would suit better, which is worth remembering when the summer cards come around.

What gives Eclipse Chaser genuine interest is who is doing the training. Mullins has sent out 220 winners already this season — a figure that is almost absurd when you sit with it for a moment. That is not a yard of one or two stars; that is a production line of well-prepared racehorses, and Eclipse Chaser is part of it. Horses from that stable tend to be placed in races where they can win, and the trainer's willingness to lower the sights a little feels like a sensible reset rather than a retreat. With the right conditions underfoot and a race pitched at the right level, another win does not feel far away.