Vertem Futurity Trophy Stakes: Horse by horse guide to Doncaster Group One

Vertem Futurity Trophy Stakes

Saturday October 23, 2021

When & Where: 3.15 Doncaster

First prize: £118,400.00

TV: ITV4 & Sky Sports Racing (415)

Racecards & FREE video form

Horse-by-horse guide

Aikhal

• Trainer: Aidan O'Brien
• Form: 214
• Sky Bet odds | Paddy Power | Betfair Sportsbook

Did best of the O'Brien trio when fourth in the Autumn Stakes, improving on the bare form of his Listowel maiden win at seven furlongs. Still done for speed at Newmarket, despite the move up to a mile, and he's going to need more of a test on that evidence if he's going to make up into a top-level performer. Greenness under pressure last time so unlikely we've seen the best of him yet.

Angel Bleu

• Trainer: Ralph Beckett
• Form: 110211
• Sky Bet odds | Paddy Power | Betfair Sportsbook

As the only Group One winner in the field, he has to be treated with maximum respect and while the Lagardere triumph was arguably more about him handling the conditions better than others rather than a significant gulf in terms of class, he is evidently getting better and promises to appreciate the first crack at a mile. His relative wealth of experience should count for a lot in this race and he's a pretty solid alternative to the market leader, though wouldn't want the ground drying out too much.

Bayside Boy

• Trainer: Roger Varian
• Form: 1213
• Sky Bet odds | Paddy Power | Betfair Sportsbook

Ran really well, and bettered previous Group Two Doncaster win in terms of form, when third to leading juvenile Native Trail in the Dewhurst a fortnight ago and nothing to suggest he won't continue to progress. Bred to cope well with the step up in distance and unlikely to mind too much what the weather does in the week.

Buckaroo

• Trainer: Joseph O'Brien
• Form: 316
• Sky Bet odds | Paddy Power | Betfair Sportsbook

Galway maiden winner (extended mile) who, on the face of it, came up short when sixth having his first taste of Group Two action in Leopardstown's Champions Juvenile Stakes last month. However, was joint-fav there and had excuses as he was slow from the gate and consequently not ideally positioned throughout. Couldn't get into the clear and rolling early enough in the home straight but stayed on well regardless without being unduly knocked around. He'd beaten the Leopardstown runner-up, Stone Age, at Galway too so definitely worth marking him up and this giant son of Fastnet Rock looks likely to enjoy this sort of test, a race his trainer won as a jockey in 2011 and 2012 and his owners landed two years ago when run at Newcastle.

Bullet Force

• Trainer: Karl Burke
• Form: 22133
• Sky Bet odds | Paddy Power | Betfair Sportsbook

Hasn't done an awful lot wrong at all, holding his form since winning a Musselburgh maiden, but not operating at the same level as most of these and easily overlooked in such exalted company.

Glounthaune

• Trainer: Aidan O'Brien
• Form: 161
• Sky Bet odds | Paddy Power | Betfair Sportsbook

Curragh maiden winner in April and easy enough to back (20/1) on return from 175 days away when faced with steep rise in class in the Dewhurst. Ended up sixth there but put the experience to good use when winning Leopardstown Group Three just a week later (stable's juveniles just 3-41 in Ireland during October so far). Step up to a mile for the first time promises to suit and has a good attitude to go with his obvious class.

Hannibal Barca

• Trainer: Brian Meehan
• Form: 31
• Sky Bet odds | Paddy Power | Betfair Sportsbook

Probably didn't need to improve a huge amount on his promising Ascot third to win Salisbury novice late last month but put them away in pretty good style and was pretty strong at the line. Looks quite promising for next year but this could be too much too soon given he has a huge amount to find on form.

Hoo Ya Mal

• Trainer: Andrew Balding
• Form: 312
• Sky Bet odds | Paddy Power | Betfair Sportsbook

Clearly going the right way as he picks up more experience and too York's typically hot Convivial maiden by two and a half lengths with plenty to spare. Nosed out of it by Noble Truth in Listed event at Doncaster since and that rival went on to push Angel Bleu close in the Group One at ParisLongchamp. Has worn a hood for all three starts to date but he's proven on the track, should get the mile well enough on pedigree and won't mind at all if it comes up relatively quick underfoot.

Howth

• Trainer: Aidan O'Brien
• Form: 418459
• Sky Bet odds | Paddy Power | Betfair Sportsbook

Has clear ground to make up on a number of these rivals and this far his only win from eight outings came in a Killarney nursery from a mark of 85. Could be used to help set a strong gallop here.

Imperial Fighter

• Trainer: Andrew Balding
• Form: 122

Sky Bet odds | Paddy Power | Betfair Sportsbook

Won his maiden first time out, then followed home Royal Patronage in the Acomb at York, shaping like he needed a sterner test of stamina. Got that in the Autumn Stakes and performed admirably in the face of a really classy colt in Coroebus. Made his challenge away from the first two at Newmarket so not hard to take a positive view of the effort and he looks capable of playing some sort of role here.

Luxembourg

• Trainer: Aidan O'Brien
• Form: 11
• Sky Bet odds | Paddy Power | Betfair Sportsbook

Form of debut win at Killarney in July not anything to write home about but certainly looked the part and, after 73 days away, landed skinny odds when upped to Group Two level in the Beresford Stakes at the Curragh. Looks a typical O'Brien-trained challenger for this race, which included this horse's sire, Camelot, who won in 2011. Could be a little bit special.

McTigue

• Trainer: Jim Bolger
• Form: 41
• Sky Bet odds | Paddy Power | Betfair Sportsbook

The penny clearly dropped at the end of his Galway debut wen winning on for fourth - beaten just a length and a half - and duly won just 10 days later in a Leopardstown maiden. Did well there as it looked like the eventual runner-up had slipped the field, and the move up from seven furlongs to a mile clearly helped. Stable won this race last year and while he's got to take another major jump up to be competitive, he's not one to be dismissing out of hand.

Royal Patronage

• Trainer: Mark Johnston
• Form: 52111
• Sky Bet odds | Paddy Power | Betfair Sportsbook

Gone from strength to strength since finishing fifth over six furlongs on his debut at York in May, never better than battling back to beat subsequent Autumn Stakes winner Coroebus in the Royal Lodge at Newmarket. Clearly relished the mile there and could be foolish to suggest we've now seen the best of him. Stable's juveniles tend to hold form, handles all types of ground and brings rock-solid form.

Sissoko

• Trainer: Donnacha O'Brien
• Form: 61
• Sky Bet odds | Paddy Power | Betfair Sportsbook

Trainer already dreaming of a potential crack at the Derby and every right to be, given this horse's pedigree and the manner in which he won his maiden over nine furlongs at the Curragh. There's a chance he ultimately won't turn up as connections had hinted at putting him away for a trial in the spring immediately after the Curragh, which was only last Thursday, but he looks very exciting.

Stone Age

• Trainer: Aidan O'Brien
• Form: 3226
• Sky Bet odds | Paddy Power | Betfair Sportsbook

The final Ballydoyle contender who has yet to break his duck from four starts including when sixth of nine behind Angel Bleu in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere at ParisLongchamp. Form prior to that ties in closely with Buckaroo and getting back on a sound surface should help this son of Galileo, but others appeal more.

CONCLUSION

There's no knocking Aidan O'Brien's record in the race and he could end up fielding a handful to help ensure a decent gallop for market leader Luxembourg, who looks potentially cut from a similar cloth as the likes of Magna Grecia, Saxon Warrior and Camelot, who all won this for Ballydoyle before claiming Classic glory at three.

There have been one or two unusual wobbles in trainer form this season, however, especially with the juveniles, and taking the skinny odds looks risky enough at this point.

Royal Patronage is the obvious one in opposition having beaten rising star Coroebus in the Autumn Stakes, while Ralph Beckett's Angel Bleu and Roger Varian's Bayside Boy and the Andrew Balding-trained Imperial Fighter also bring very respectable form to the table.

One who has ground to make up but could take a considerable leap forward faced with a wide, galloping track and a straight mile is Joseph O'Brien's BUCKAROO, and he looks the early each-way value in the race at 16/1-plus.

• CLICK HERE TO BACK BUCKAROO WITH SKY BET

A massive colt who improved a lot from his staying-on debut third at Killarney, he justified even-money favouritism in spite of not handling the course particularly well at the Galway Festival and was fancied for the Leopardstown Group Two over Irish Champions Weekend.

Not a lot went right for him there after a slow start put him on the back foot and he was clearly better than the bare result, especially given the Galway runner-up was second again, but he might be able to spring something of a surprise here for the ownership team who won with Kameko in 2019.

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