Coral Essex Vase final 2026 - Runner by runner guide

Coral Essex Vase final

The big finals at Romford always have plenty about them and the 2026 opener is no different. There are a number of threads running through the race that suggest that we are set for an exceptional contest, and it is a wide open renewal to boot! Sponsors prices have been used.

1 - New Destiny - Mark Wallis - MWD Partnership - 3/1

The final race in the career of New Destiny and she has her preferred launching pad directly on the rails. Already a dual winner of the Champion Stakes as well as taking out a Coronation Cup here, this would complete the clean sweep of Romford 575m Category One events.

Although she has been beaten in both the round and heat, she is a very hard bitch to oppose with any ease, especially when she has the perfect starting slot on the rails. It was from the red jacket that she beat the re-opposing Gary The Arb and Tiffield Tarquin in the Champion Stakes final in October, and that makes her a huge player here.

2 - Table Toppers - Mark Wallis - MWD Partnership - 9/1

A length in front of New Destiny in his semi-final win, he produced that from the two box. His four bend talent has translated well to this short six-bend distance, with this just his third start over the trip. 

He was no match for Tiffield Tarquin in the opening round but he does shape as if there is a better time to come from him if he can put it all together over this distance. Needs everything to go right but he has the talent if it does.

3 - Gary The Arb - Belinda Green - Mr G Smith - 10/3

Has enjoyed his racing over this track and trip throughout his career, winning 11 of his 19 starts. He broke the track record in a trail stakes for this competition, a run that would have made it a shade disappointing if he did not manage to put himself into the decider. 

Runner-up in both his heat and semi-final, he is capable of stepping up on that if he can get out and on the bunny. That is no easy task in a race filled with early gears but he is likely to produce his typical, honest display which will be enough to see him close up at the very least.

4 - Silverhill Adam - Mark Wallis - MWD Partnership - 10/1

There is little doubt that he has the natural ability to feature here, but he has not been coming away from these traps which is going to leave him with an uphill task trying to back run rivals of this class. 

Has been a beaten favourite in both rounds so far when behind Out The Blue, he is going to need to up his game if he is to cause a minor surprise, especially if he is slow to stride once more. 

5 - Out The Blue - Maxine Locke - Blue Chip Syndicate - 10/1

One of two who have made the final unbeaten, she has shown remarkable consistency in her last five runs over this trip. She was slow away and beaten in the race where Gary The Arb set the track record but her other four runs are covered by just nine spots on the sectional and eight spots on the finish time. 

You know exactly what you are going to get with her which is a gutsy front-running effort, though whether she is able to lead this field up is a different question entirely. Small of frame but big of heart, but others arguably have stronger claims to the prize.

6 - Tiffield Tarquin - Roy Peckham - Mr W McColl and Mrs J McColl - 6/4

The sole wide runner in the final has been impeccable so far in his two runs in the competition. He boasts five wins from seven starts over 575m here, though one of the defeats was when he timed the break wrong in the final of the Champion Stakes when behind a couple of these rivals. 

He cannot afford to miss the kick here given the volume of other early paced types in the line up. He should get a clean enough run around the outside if he does come away and a repeat of his performance in his semi-final win would see him take plenty of catching. 

Conclusion

This has the potential to be one of the races of the entire year, and hopefully those in attendance at Romford will be served the treat that this looks on paper. It's hard to knock Tiffield Tarquin on his form in the competition so far, though he had a similar run to the final of the Champion Stakes in the autumn.

There is just the suspicion that the return to the red jacket is going to prove the key to New Destiny, and with it being the final start of her career, it almost feels like it is written that she will go out on top. 

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