Rescheduled Futurity An End-Of-Term Blockbuster

[Wandering Eyes]

What was due to be a bizarre lone British defence by Kameko (Kitten’s Joy) against five Ballydoyle raiders in last Saturday’s G1 Vertem Futurity Trophy at an eventually waterlogged Doncaster has turned in the space of six days into a highly significant renewal of the rescheduled juvenile feature. With TDN Rising Stars Mogul (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) and Kinross (GB) (Kingsman {GB})–who were originally due to take different paths in the Futurity and G3 Horris Hill respectively–now pitched against each other on Newcastle’s Tapeta on Friday, the mile contest offers a genuine clue to next year’s Classics. Now that Godolphin have finished cleaning up the Group 1 prizes in this age category with their triumvirate of high-class sons of Shamardal, there is a vital opening in the final race of its kind in 2019.

Kinross and Mogul appear to be cut from divergent cloth at present, with the former showing the kind of pace associated with a Guineas horse when registering a scintillating eight-length debut success over seven furlongs at Newmarket Oct. 5 and the latter looking more of a Derby type when annexing Leopardstown’s G2 Champions Juvenile S. over this mile trip Sept. 14. Kinross’s performance was not just about style, however, with a smart time backed up by an increasingly solid look to the form after the runner-up Raaeb (Ire) (Raven’s Pass) and fifth-placed Vatican City (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) have both won easily since.

Jockey Harry Bentley is hoping Julian Richmond-Watson’s supplemented homebred can keep the dream alive over the winter. “I’m really looking forward to it and he deserves people to be talking about him after his first run at Newmarket where he did everything right,” the rider said. “We’ll get to see how he builds on that effort. He’s an exciting prospect, a horse you look forward to riding for sure, but he’s in at the deep end, up against class horses, and we’ll see how good he is. It will be different conditions to Newmarket, a furlong further on a different surface so we’ll see how he reacts to it all. He’ll have been on the woodchip at home, which isn’t all-weather, but there is a trotting ring that has an all-weather so he will have been on it at some stage.”

As was the plan before Doncaster was rained off, Mogul is joined by the stable’s Sept. 29 G2 Beresford S. winner Innisfree (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who is a fascinating contender on this Tapeta surface following his win in heavy ground in that Curragh contest. “Both are very well in themselves and we were looking forward to running them at Doncaster, but very happy to be taking them to the all-weather track at Newcastle,” commented Aidan O’Brien. “They both won Group 2s last time they ran and I don’t think there’s a lot to choose between them. Whatever happens, they are horses that I am very much looking forward to running as 3-year-olds.”

Qatar Racing’s Aug. 31 G3 Solario S. and Sept. 28 G2 Royal Lodge S. runner-up Kameko is back in opposition, with Andrew Balding hoping that the switch to the all-weather will see his juvenile star in a better light than the heavy ground he would have encountered on Saturday. “You never know how a horse is going to act on a surface until you try it,” said Balding. “I think it was a good move from everyone involved to get the race on and now it’s there we’ll give it a go. It looks a strong Group 1, as it should be, for the race’s profile. Being a week later is not ideal as we’ve had to jiggle things around, but hopefully he can take that in his stride.”

Prince Faisal’s impressive Oct. 23 Listed Prix Isonomy winner Tammani (GB) (Make Believe {GB}) is chanced by William Haggas and is another welcome entry after the race was re-opened, while Godolphin are represented by the July 17 Yarmouth novice winner Verboten (Ire) (No Nay Never). An intriguing contender for the John Gosden stable which also supplies Michael Tabor’s Cherokee Trail (War Front), he won in promising style on his sole start over seven furlongs and is impossible to ignore. “Ignore Cherokee Trail’s last run away because he didn’t enjoy himself on the ground [in the Oct. 12 G3 Autumn S. at Newmarket],” said jockey Kieran O’Neill. “Take that away and he’d be going there two-from-two and he’d be much shorter in the betting. I think it’s a wide-open Group 1 and nothing really stands out bar Aidan [O’Brien]’s. We also like Verboten so we’re going in with two outside chances.”

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