Futurity Trophy
The Group 1 Vertem Futurity Trophy at Doncaster is a recognised Classic trial for two-year-olds (formerly known as The Racing Trophy).
The Futurity Trophy takes place on Friday 27th October 2023.
It is the final Group 1 race of the flat turf season and often provides clues for the 2000 Guineas and Epsom Derby.
Classic winners to win here include Reference Point (1986), High Chaparral (2001) and Camelot (2011).
The last three winners all went on to win the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket on their next racecourse appearance.
Contents
- 1 The Race – The Vertem Futurity Trophy
- 2 Famous Futurity Trophy and Racing Post Winners & History
- 3 Key Futurity Trophy Trials
- 4 Futurity Trophy 2023 Odds
- 5 Futurity Trophy 2023 Tips
- 6 Futurity Trophy Previous Winners
- 7 Futurity Trophy Previous Result
- 8 Futurity Trophy Betting Trends
- 9 Futurity Trophy Stats
- 10 Top Trainers and Jockeys
- 11 Popular Questions
- 12 Betting on the Futurity Trophy 2023
- 13 Summary of the Futurity Stakes
- 14 Related October Articles
- 15 Resources
The Race – The Vertem Futurity Trophy
The Futurity Trophy takes place over a mile in October and often on soft ground.
Doncaster racecourse is one of the flattest tracks in the country but still provides a tough test for two-year-olds.
The long home straight puts the emphasis firmly on stamina in this race, particularly when conditions are testing.
Famous Futurity Trophy and Racing Post Winners & History
The race was created by Phil Bull in 1961 and was originally called the Timeform Gold Cup. The sponsorship has changed several times since but it was probably best known as the Racing Post Trophy (1989 to 2017).
Vertem became the latest sponsor in 2018.
Notable early winners of this race include Ribocco (1966), Vaguely Noble (1967) and High Top (1971).
In 1980 Shergar started hot favourite for this race but suffered a rare defeat behind Beldale Flutter. He redeemed his reputation as a three-year-old with a record 10 lengths victory in the Epsom Derby.
1986 Futurity winner Reference Point also went on to win the Derby but the next Classic winner produced here was Celtic Swing in 1994. He had won his previous race by 8 lengths at Ascot but few expected him to rout the opposition in this Group 1 contest. He powered 12 lengths clear in the home straight to leap to the head of the ante-post betting for the Derby. He was beaten in the 2000 Guineas and re-routed to the French Derby where he gained a hard-fought Classic victory.
High Chaparral (2001) and Motivator (2004) both went on to win the Epsom Derby.
The race was run at Newbury in 2006 while Doncaster was redeveloped and victory went to 25-1 outsider Authorized. He was quoted at 16-1 for the Derby immediately after the Futurity. An impressive win in the Dante Stakes at York resulted in him starting 5-4 favourite at Epsom. Frankie Dettori was seeking his first Derby win at the fifteenth attempt and the combination won easily by five lengths.
Camelot won here in 2011 and almost emulated English Triple Crown winner Nijinsky. He won the 2000 Guineas and the Derby but his Triple Crown bid was thwarted by Encke in the St Leger.
Brian Boru (2002) and Kingston Hill (2013) both won the Futurity and St Leger at Doncaster.
Having become established as the top trial for staying colts, the Futurity has now produced three successive 2000 Guineas winners in Saxon Warrior (2017), Magna Grecia (2018) and Kameko (2019).
The 2019 renewal was re-arranged to Newcastle after Doncaster was abandoned due to waterlogging.
Key Futurity Trophy Trials
The Autumn Stakes at Newmarket has proved a good guide to the Futurity Stakes in recent years. Ibn Khaldun (2007) and Kingston Hill (2013) both won that race before following up at Doncaster. Magna Grecia finished second in the Autumn Stakes before winning here in 2018.
The Group 2 Beresford Stakes at Naas is another significant trial with St Nicholas Abbey (2009), Casamento (2010) and Saxon Warrior (2017) all winning both races.
Andrew Balding won the Royal Lodge Stakes at Newmarket with Elm Park (2014) before winning here. He followed the same path with Kameko (2019), second in the Royal Lodge before winning the Futurity.
Futurity Trophy 2023 Odds
The odds for the Futurity Trophy are listed below:
Futurity Trophy 2023 Tips
The tips for the Futurity Trophy are below:
- 2 points to win for TBC at odds of TBC
- 1 point each way for TBC at odds of TBC
Futurity Trophy Previous Winners
Year | Winner | Jockey | Trainer | Owner | Time |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1961 | Miralgo | Bill Williamson | Harry Wragg | Gerry Oldham | 1:44.40 |
1962 | Noblesse | Garnie Bougoure | Paddy Prendergast | Evelyn Olin | 1:39.00 |
1963 | Pushful [a] | Harry Carr | S. Meaney | Lionel Holliday | 1:39.00 |
1964 | Hardicanute | Bill Williamson | Paddy Prendergast | Jim Mullion | 1:40.40 |
1965 | Pretendre | Ron Hutchinson | Jack Jarvis | Claude Lilley | 1:42.60 |
1966 | Ribocco | Lester Piggott | Fulke Johnson Houghton | Charles Engelhard | 1:44.60 |
1967 | Vaguely Noble | Bill Williamson | Walter Wharton | Brook Holliday | 1:44.80 |
1968 | The Elk | Bill Pyers | Jeremy Tree | Monica Sheriffe | 1:44.60 |
1969 | Approval | Duncan Keith | Henry Cecil | Sir Humphrey de Trafford | 1:45.80 |
1970 | Linden Tree | Duncan Keith | Peter Walwyn | Mrs D. McCalmont | 1:46.00 |
1971 | High Top | Willie Carson | Bernard van Cutsem | Sir Jules Thorn | 1:40.80 |
1972 | Noble Decree | Lester Piggott | Bernard van Cutsem | Nelson Bunker Hunt | 1:42.79 |
1973 | Apalachee | Lester Piggott | Vincent O'Brien | Jack Mulcahy | 1:43.51 |
1974 | Green Dancer | Freddy Head | Alec Head | Jacques Wertheimer | 1:45.01 |
1975 | Take Your Place | Gianfranco Dettori | Henry Cecil | Carlo d'Alessio | 1:40.50 |
1976 | Sporting Yankee | Pat Eddery | Peter Walwyn | William Hill Racing | 1:48.56 |
1977 | Dactylographer | Pat Eddery | Peter Walwyn | Philip Niarchos | 1:43.70 |
1978 | Sandy Creek | Christy Roche | Con Collins | Alfie McLean | 1:38.32 |
1979 | Hello Gorgeous | Joe Mercer | Henry Cecil | Daniel Wildenstein | 1:42.30 |
1980 | Beldale Flutter | Pat Eddery | Michael Jarvis | Tony Kelly | 1:43.53 |
1981 | Count Pahlen | Geoff Baxter | Bruce Hobbs | Mrs Tony Villar | 1:42.40 |
1982 | Dunbeath | Lester Piggott | Henry Cecil | Michael Riordan | 1:44.05 |
1983 | Alphabatim | Greville Starkey | Guy Harwood | Khalid Abdullah | 1:41.30 |
1984 | Lanfranco | Lester Piggott | Henry Cecil | Charles St George | 1:43.90 |
1985 | Bakharoff | Greville Starkey | Guy Harwood | Khalid Abdullah | 1:41.20 |
1986 | Reference Point | Pat Eddery | Henry Cecil | Louis Freedman | 1:45.03 |
1987 | Emmson | Willie Carson | Dick Hern | Sir Michael Sobell | 1:42.66 |
1988 | Al Hareb | Willie Carson | Neil Graham | Hamdan Al Maktoum | 1:40.73 |
1989 | Be My Chief [b] | Steve Cauthen | Henry Cecil | Peter Burrell | 1:42.99 |
1990 | Peter Davies | Steve Cauthen | Henry Cecil | Charles St George | 1:46.00 |
1991 | Seattle Rhyme | Cash Asmussen | David Elsworth | H. J. Senn | 1:39.58 |
1992 | Armiger | Pat Eddery | Henry Cecil | Khalid Abdullah | 1:39.70 |
1993 | King's Theatre | Willie Ryan | Henry Cecil | Poland / Sheikh Moh'd [2] | 1:41.04 |
1994 | Celtic Swing | Kevin Darley | Lady Herries | Peter Savill | 1:40.04 |
1995 | Beauchamp King | John Reid | John Dunlop | Erik Penser | 1:38.89 |
1996 | Medaaly | Gary Hind | Saeed bin Suroor | Godolphin | 1:41.12 |
1997 | Saratoga Springs | Michael Kinane | Aidan O'Brien | Michael Tabor | 1:40.36 |
1998 | Commander Collins | Jimmy Fortune | Peter Chapple-Hyam | Robert Sangster | 1:47.80 |
1999 | Aristotle | George Duffield | Aidan O'Brien | Sue Magnier | 1:45.00 |
2000 | Dilshaan | Johnny Murtagh | Sir Michael Stoute | Saeed Suhail | 1:45.87 |
2001 | High Chaparral | Kevin Darley | Aidan O'Brien | Tabor / Magnier | 1:45.39 |
2002 | Brian Boru | Kevin Darley | Aidan O'Brien | Sue Magnier | 1:46.01 |
2003 | American Post | Christophe Soumillon | Criquette Head-Maarek | Khalid Abdullah | 1:39.57 |
2004 | Motivator | Kieren Fallon | Michael Bell | Royal Ascot Racing Club | 1:41.62 |
2005 | Palace Episode | Neil Callan | Kevin Ryan | Theresa Marnane | 1:45.10 |
2006 | Authorized [c] | Frankie Dettori | Peter Chapple-Hyam | Al Homaizi / Al Sagar | 1:43.74 |
2007 | Ibn Khaldun | Kerrin McEvoy | Saeed bin Suroor | Godolphin | 1:37.62 |
2008 | Crowded House | Jamie Spencer | Brian Meehan | Reddam / Burrell / Harvey | 1:39.17 |
2009 | St Nicholas Abbey | Johnny Murtagh | Aidan O'Brien | Smith / Magnier / Tabor | 1:39.62 |
2010 | Casamento | Frankie Dettori | Michael Halford | Sheikh Mohammed | 1:37.03 |
2011 | Camelot | Joseph O'Brien | Aidan O'Brien | Smith / Magnier / Tabor | 1:38.58 |
2012 | Kingsbarns | Joseph O'Brien | Aidan O'Brien | Magnier / Tabor / Smith | 1:40.32 |
2013 | Kingston Hill | Andrea Atzeni | Roger Varian | Paul D Smith | 1:44.83 |
2014 | Elm Park | Andrea Atzeni | Andrew Balding | Qatar Racing & Kingsclere Racing | 1:43.82 |
2015 | Marcel | Andrea Atzeni | Peter Chapple-Hyam | Paul Hancock | 1:40.85 |
2016 | Rivet | Andrea Atzeni | William Haggas | The Starship Partnership | 1:37.08 |
2017 | Saxon Warrior | Ryan Moore | Aidan O'Brien | Smith / Magnier / Tabor | 1:40.12 |
2018 | Magna Grecia | Donnacha O'Brien | Aidan O'Brien | Smith / Magnier / Tabor / Flaxman | 1:37.72 |
2019 | Kameko[d] | Oisin Murphy | Andrew Balding | Qatar Racing Ltd | 1:36.26 |
2020 | Mac Swiney | Kevin Manning | Jim Bolger | Jackie Bolger | 1:41.98 |
2021 | Luxembourg | Ryan Moore | Aidan O'Brien | Smith / Magnier / Tabor / Westerberg | 1:43.61 |
2022 | Auguste Rodin | Ryan Moore | Aidan O'Brien | Tabor / Smith / Magnier / Westerberg | 1:44:76 |
Futurity Trophy Previous Result
🏆Futurity Trophy Stakes (G1)
1600m , 200.000 GBP, for 2yo
🇬🇧 DoncasterAuguste Rodin (IRE)
(2C Deep Impact – Rhododendron , by Galileo)
J : Ryan Moore
T:A.P. O'Brien
O: M Tabor & D Smith & Mrs J Magnier & Westerberg
B : @coolmorestud pic.twitter.com/9bZASEt8N1— 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙𝙍𝙖𝙘𝙞𝙣𝙜 (@WorldRacing1) October 22, 2022
Futurity Trophy Betting Trends
Favourites have a fine record in the Futurity Stakes, winning seven of the last ten renewals.
Casamento (2010), Camelot (2011), Kingsbarns (2012), Kingston Hill (2013) and Elm Park (2014) all started clear market leader. The sequence came to an abrupt halt with 33-1 outsider Mercel in 2015, trained by Peter Chapple-Hyam.
Shock results are few and far between in this top two-year-old race where the betting usually provides a reliable guide.
Saxon Warrior (2017) and Magna Grecia (2018) were heavily-backed favourites with Kameko returning at odds of 11-2 in 2019.
Futurity Trophy Stats
- Most recent Futurity winners had won on their previous start.
- There are not many opportunities for two-year-olds over a mile but a high percentage of past winners had already tackled the Classic distance.
- This is a tough test for an inexperienced juvenile and most winners had raced at least twice, often including a Group race.
- Half of recent winners had at least one victory in a Group 1 to 3 race.
- An official rating of 98 or higher is usually required to win this race.
Top Trainers and Jockeys
Sir Henry Cecil recorded an astonishing 10 winners in this race between 1969 and 1993. Only Reference Point (1986) went on to Classic success as a three-year-old. His last victory came with Kings Theatre in 1993, runner-up in the English Derby to Erhaab and the Irish Derby behind Balanchine.
Aidan O’Brien is rapidly closing in on Sir Henry’s record, Magna Grecia providing him with a ninth winner in 2018. That colt went on to become the fifth O’Brien-trained Futurity winner to enjoy Classic success following Camelot, High Chaparral, Brian Boru and Saxon Warrior. His other winners include the globetrotting St Nicholas Abbey (2009), a three-time winner of the Coronation Cup and the winner of the 2011 Breeders’ Cup Turf.
Jockeys Lester Piggott and Pat Eddery share the record of five Vertem Futurity Trophy winners.
Andrea Atzeni rode four successive winners here between 2013 and 2016. He was successful on Kingston Hill, Elm Park, Marcel and Rivet.
Popular Questions
What Are the Important Facts About The Futurity Stakes Race?
Here are interesting facts about The Futurity Stakes Race:
- The Futurity Stakes is run at Doncaster Racecourse, Great Britain
- The Futurity Stakes is for horses aged 2 only
- The Futurity Stakes is a Group 1 horse race in Great Britain
- The Futurity Stakes distance is 1 mile
Betting on the Futurity Trophy 2023
The betting market on the Futurity Stakes opens in the build-up to the race.
Caution is advised, particularly with the Aidan O’Brien entries as he often has two or more runners here.
Most bookmakers will offer “Non-runner – No Bet” terms in the week of the race.
If you are looking to bet online we recommend the following great deals:
Summary of the Futurity Stakes
The Futurity Stakes has an incredible record of producing Classic winners.
With three 2000 Guineas winner in a row, the race will inevitably have a big impact on the ante-post betting for that race and the Epsom Derby.
Racing fans will be hoping that it can produce another champion to look forward to the following spring.
- Autumn Stakes
- Bateaux London Gold Cup
- Beckford Stakes
- Bengough Stakes
- Bluebell Stakes
- Boadicea Fillies' Stakes
- British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes
- British Champions Long Distance Cup
- British Champions Sprint Stakes
- Carlingford Stakes
- Cesarewitch Handicap
- Challenge Stakes
- Champion Stakes
- Charlie Hall Chase
- Concorde Stakes
- Cornwallis Stakes
- Cumberland Lodge Stakes
- Darley Stakes
- Dewhurst Stakes
- Doncaster Stakes
- Eyrefield Stakes
- Fillies' Mile
- Fleur De Lys Fillies' Stakes
- Futurity Trophy
- Garnet Stakes
- Guisborough Stakes
- Horris Hill Stakes
- Horse Racing In October
- Irish Cesarewitch Handicap
- Killavullan Stakes
- Knockaire Stakes
- Legacy Stakes
- Leopardstown October Handicap
- Mercury Stakes
- Noel Murless Stakes
- October Stakes
- Oh So Sharp Stakes
- Old Roan Chase
- Pride Stakes
- Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe
- Queen Elizabeth II Stakes
- Radley Stakes
- River Eden Fillies' Stakes
- Rockingham Stakes
- Rous Stakes
- Silver Tankard Stakes
- Silver Trophy Handicap Hurdle
- St. Simon Stakes
- Star Appeal Stakes
- Sun Chariot Stakes
- Trigo Stakes
- Two-Year-Old Trophy
- West Yorkshire Hurdle
- Zetland Stakes