Connections of White Birch elect to play it safe and swerve Eclipse

White Birch will be a notable absentee from a stellar Coral-Eclipse at Sandown on Saturday on account of anticipated fast conditions.

John Joseph Murphy’s star performer was one of 11 confirmed for the Esher track’s summer highlight on Monday, but connections have now decided not to make the trip from Ireland while the weather refuses to break.

“White Birch is not going to run, it’s looking like they will have proper good to firm ground at Sandown,” said George Murphy, who is assistant to his father.

“We made the decision good ground would be the quickest we would run him on, so it’s not ideal for Saturday.”

White Birch made a pleasing start to the season by finishing second to Los Angeles in the Mooresbridge Stakes before an unlucky fourth to the same rival when defending his Tattersalls Gold Cup crown.

However, he also missed Royal Ascot for the second year running when quick conditions ruled him out of the Prince of Wales’s Stakes, connections are now minded to hit the pause button ahead of a late-season campaign on more suitable going.

Murphy added: “We’ll chat to the owners but it is more than likely we will give him an easy time now and wait for the end of the summer/start of autumn when we’re more likely to get a little ease in the ground.

“It’s been pretty quick for a while now, but he’s in good shape and we just want to look after him.”