Irish man aiming for 13th Futurity victory at Doncaster that could also seal ninth British trainers’ title

Talk of Aidan O’Brien breaking his own world record for Group One wins in a year subsided recently, although it could be rejuvenated this weekend with the Irish trainer competing in four top-flight contests.

A 13^th William Hill Futurity success at Doncaster on Saturday may secure O’Brien a ninth British trainers’ title before the two-year-old focus switches to Paris on Sunday.

Puerto Rico and Pierre Bonnard delivered for O’Brien a year ago in the two Group One juvenile contests up for grabs at Saint-Cloud, and he has a handful of runners spread around the Criterium International and the Criterium de Saint-Cloud this time.

He also runs Queenstown and Amelia Earhart in the €350,000 Prix Royal Oak due off at 2.50pm Irish time. Queenstown found only Arrow Eagle too good for him a year ago in the race widely described as France’s St Leger.

Ross O’Sullivan will also have a shot at Royal Oak glory through his stalwart Chally Chute, winner of the Curragh Cesarewitch on his last start.

Joseph O’Brien has Jesus Green in the Criterium de Saint-Cloud, a race that he and Dylan Browne McMonagle won with Tennessee Stud two years ago. O’Brien has four other starters in Group Three contests on the Saint-Cloud card. The trainer runs his Royal Ascot winner Kizlyar in a Group Two contest in Flemington early on Saturday morning.

Both the Futurity and Saint-Cloud’s top-class juvenile contests have delivered rich pickings for Ballydoyle over the years.

O’Brien reached 22 Group One successes this season when Minnie Hauk scored at Ascot last week. His 2017 world record tally is 28. A dominant weekend could mean that target comes back into sight in advance of next week’s Breeders’ Cup action. There may be further targets, particularly in the Far East, towards the end of the year.

Camelot and Auguste Rodin are among some O’Brien A-listers that have won the Futurity. The wide-margin Beresford winner Noble Exhibit tops a Ballydoyle trio this time in a field that also contains Gran Dia, a sole representative for O’Brien’s championship rival Andrew Balding.

The English man looks to be fighting a losing battle to secure a first title. The championship runs to the end of the year, but Britain’s final Group One of the season is potentially decisive in terms of significant prize money.

Gran Dia won his sole start to date at Salisbury and a spokesman for his owner Tony Bloom conceded: “He’s a horse who has won a maiden going straight into a Group One and we’re under no illusions how difficult that will be. But we want to give him a second run before the end of the year.

“We’re going to be taking on battle-hardened two-year-olds who have runs under their belt and our fellow has only had one, so it will be very much a learning curve for him. But we hope he goes there and shows enough to think we can be dreaming with him over the winter.”

It’s no surprise Ryan Moore has opted for Noble Exhibit. The Frankel colt broke his maiden to the tune of seven lengths at Punchestown before dominating the Beresford 11 days later. The Curragh contest is traditionally a signpost to Futurity success.

Sergei Diaghilev found only the highly rated Rock Montreal too good at Newmarket recently, which was a much better effort than Giant Sequoia’s in last month’s National Stakes. The Futurity winner never figured behind Folsom Blues and may not relish testing conditions.

The main domestic hope appears to be Karl Burke’s Burning Up, but he proved no match for another O’Brien colt, Haffner, at Newmarket in the Royal Lodge, which should leave the Irish camp knowing where they stand with him.

In contrast, the two Saint-Cloud races have traditionally had a second-division vibe for O’Brien, although Irish Derby winners Fame And Glory and Los Angeles feature among six victories in the race. O’Brien has won the Criterium International seven times.

There is plenty of evidence of how O’Brien can get his horses to back up quickly for this Saint-Cloud programme, having scored the weekend previously at Leopardstown.

Capability Brown made light of a drop in trip to land the Killavullan Stakes at Leopardstown last Saturday and will bid to step up to Group One status in the International. He is joined by stable companion Aix La Chapelle in a seven-runner contest.

There are also seven for the 10-furlong Group One, although just one of them is local. Moore is on board the impressive Zetland Stakes winner Drumbeat while Christophe Soumillon is on Shakespeare. Victory Speech is Wayne Lordan’s mount.

Charlie Appleby’s Godolphin team have supplemented both Al Jabbar and Royal Acclamation. William Buick has opted for the former, leaving new British champion jockey Billy Loughnane in for a good spare.

Jesus Green also takes his chance and enjoyed a confidence boost when easily scoring in a Navan maiden last time. He’d previously chased home Darkness Falls in the Golden Fleece.

It’s 18 years since O’Brien landed his sole Royal Oak success with the outstanding Yeats.

Queenstown’s status in the Ballydoyle pecking order is much more prosaic, but the gelding is a smart stayer in his own right. Only Mount Atlas was too good for him at Ascot last weekend, and before that he was third in the Cadran. He’s certainly being kept busy, although he still looks the best shot at an Irish success.

Lordan will do 8st 8lbs on the quirky filly Amelia Earhart while Donagh O’Connor has a shot at Group One glory aboard Chally Chute.