Eclipse was so called as he was foaled during the great solar eclipse of 1764. He was a bright chestnut, of distinctive appearance, with a narrow blaze running down the length of his face, and his right hind leg was white almost up to his hock. Eclipse retired to stud in 1771 and became one of the leading sires of his era. His skeleton is in the Collection of the Jockey Club Museum, Newmarket.