Having already won the Racing Post Trophy on seven occasions, it would be fitting if Aidan O’Brien made history at Doncaster this Saturday.
Trainer O’Brien, master of the all-conquering Ballydoyle operation in Ireland, is on the verge of breaking Bobby Frankel’s long-standing record of 25 victories in Group or Grade 1 races during a season. He’s already equalled the record and has four of the 12 runners in the Racing Post Trophy, the last of the year’s races at the highest level in the UK. Failure, however, would not be the end of the record attempt with the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar next week still to come and possible opportunities in Hong Kong.
But O’Brien would love to shatter the record as near to home soil as possible and Doncaster’s Town Moor has been god to the stable down the years. High Chaparral, Brian Boru, St Nicholas Abbey and Camelot have been among Ballydoyle’s previous winners in the Racing Post Trophy, run over a mile for two-year-olds.
It’s been run since 1961 and has gone through various incarnations including the Timeform Gold Cup, Observer Gold Cup and Futurity Stakes. Five winners have gone on to win the following year’s Derby so this is still an important trial but the final entries suggest that O’Brien’s quartet aren’t going to have things all their own way – and then there is the tricky dilemma of deciding which of the four is best suited to the test. Though number one stable jockey Ryan Moore rides the unbeaten Saxon Warrior, past experience tells us that jockey bookings are no guarantee of pecking order when it comes to multiple Ballydoyle entries in big races – this year’s Irish Derby immediately springs to mind!
Ryan Moore has, in fact, never ridden the winner of the Racing Post Trophy and an additional worry is his trainer’s more recent record with two-year-olds at Doncaster – just one of his last 18 entries has won and the stable’s overall strike-rate on Town Moor is little better. That said, Saxon Warrior was impressive when winning the Group 2 Beresford Stakes at Naas, though I’m not sure it justified best odds of 15/8 in this Saturday’s big race.
Stable companions The Pentagon, improving when last seen in July, and Seahenge, third in the Dewhurst Stakes and already a winner at Doncaster, are useful back-up plans and priced up at 9/2 and 12/1 respectively. But Ireland has even stronger hand with Verbal Dexterity, winner of the Group 1 National Stakes at the Curragh last month and bred to stay a mile and further. Jim Bolger has never won the Racing Post Trophy but has a live contender this year.
However, we shouldn’t ignore the home defence and especially Roaring Lion (7/1 with 10Bet). John Gosden is another top trainer seeking his first win in this end-of-season Group 1 but his colt won the Group 2 Royal Lodge at Newmarket last month and is still improving so demands respect.
Andrea Atzeni has ridden the last four winners of the Racing Post Trophy so it’s a surprise that his mount CHILEAN is 12/1 with several bookmakers, including 10Bet. Martyn Meade, who has enjoyed tremendous success this year with Eminent and Aclaim, trains the son of Iffraaj. The colt gets his speed from his sire and stamina from his dam, a decent middle-distance performer in France. He seems adaptable to going and the manner of his win in a Listed race at Haydock last month was eye-catching. This is obviously another big step up but he looks capable of shocking better-fancied rivals and denying Aidan O’Brien that record, for the time being at least.
Racing Post Trophy Latest Odds
Saxon Warrior 15/8, Verbal Dexterity 7/2, The Pentagon 9/2, Roaring Lion 7/1, Seahenge and Chilean 12/1, Loxley 14/1, Gabr 33/1, Coat Of Arms 66/1, Merlin Magic and Theobald 100/1, Alfa McGuire 150/1
