Futurity Trophy Starts in Doubt for Item and Oxagon Due to Wet Forecast

[Wandering Eyes]

The prospect of testing conditions for Saturday's William Hill Futurity Trophy Stakes at Doncaster could scupper plans for two of the four entries not trained by Aidan O'Brien, including the Andrew Balding trainee Item, who is set to bypass the final Group 1 of the British Flat season if the ground is heavy.

The son of Frankel is unbeaten in two starts to date, having followed up his debut victory at Kempton with a dominant performance at Bath last time, drawing right away in the final furlong to win by three and a half lengths.

All roads now lead to Doncaster as the Juddmonte team seeks its fifth win in the Futurity Trophy – and first since American Post struck for Criquette Head-Maarek back in 2003 – but Barry Mahon, Juddmonte's European racing manager, revealed that the possibility of heavy downpours on Town Moor could force connections into a rethink.

“Our intention is to go and we're going to declare tomorrow [Thursday],” Mahon told Sky Sports Racing. “Thursday is going to be the make or break day. There's anywhere between 10-30mm of rain forecast so, if the ground was to be heavy, I don't think we would run. If it's soft or good to soft, we'll most definitely run.

“Andrew has been very happy with him and he worked well this morning. He's obviously lacking a bit of experience, hence why we went to Bath – we were very keen to get him on grass. He's a horse that only went into training in July, so he's relatively unexposed. Andrew has felt that, every time he's run, his work has improved after it. Again, this morning he was very positive so, fingers crossed, we're all set for Saturday.”

The ground at Doncaster on Wednesday was described as heavy, soft in places. Should Item not take his chance on Saturday, Mahon confirmed that the son of GI Natalma Stakes winner Capla Temptress (Lope De Vega) will not run again this season.

He added of future plans, “I think he's definitely going to get 10 furlongs and, just speaking to Andrew this morning, we felt there was a good chance he could even get 12 furlongs. Hopefully, he's a horse that could start off in a Derby trial next season and build his way up from there. If the ground came up heavy [at Doncaster], we wouldn't run and he'd be finished for the year.”

Similar comments apply to the John and Thady Gosden-trained Oxagon (Frankel), who ran well on his previous visit to Doncaster when filling the runner-up spot in the G2 Champagne Stakes, won by the subsequent G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere hero Puerto Rico (Wootton Bassett).

Prince Faisal's homebred again performed with credit when last seen finishing fifth in the G1 Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket, passing the post three and a half lengths behind Champagne also-ran Gewan (Night Of Thunder), but it remains to be seen whether conditions at Doncaster will allow him to make a quick return to action.

“We're all on weather watch,” said Prince Faisal's racing manager, Ted Voute. “There are nine in of Aidan O'Brien's, and 13 in all, and I've been in communication with Peter [Shoemark, racing secretary] at John Gosden's. They're watching the weather.

“I'm currently driving to Deauville for a runner that we've got and the weather's fine, but it's meant to hit tomorrow and come up through the country into England, so I would think it depends on that. But it will be quite soft anyhow.

“It's up to John and his view of the weather. When we were in the Dewhurst, everybody felt that an extra furlong and a little more juice in the ground would do quite nicely. But whether this much juice is what is required, we'll leave that to John.”

The betting for the Futurity Trophy is headed by O'Brien's G2 Beresford Stakes winner Hawk Mountain (Wootton Bassett) at a general 5/4, with stablemate Benvenuto Cellini (Frankel) next best at 3/1. Oxagon is available to back at 4/1, ahead of Item at 9/2.

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