Aidan O’Brien is triple-handed in his pursuit of an eighth victory in today’s Racing Post Trophy at Doncaster and it may be important to recall how it’s not always the champion trainer’s number one hope who winds up landing the final Group One of the year in Ireland and Britain.
O’Brien’s son Joseph has elected to ride Century whose supplementary entry into the race has been pounced on by punters in ante-post betting, with the Curragh maiden winner challenging another supplemented colt, Kingston Hill, at the top of the betting.
Ryan Moore is on board the maiden Johann Strauss and it is Paul Hanagan who has been booked to ride the third Ballydoyle hope Buonarrotti who shapes up as perhaps the value bet of the race.
The Galileo colt stepped up hugely on his debut to win a maiden at Tipperary 20 days ago by over eight lengths from a slow-starting runner-up Evason who won his own maiden at Navan during the week.
Unlikely jockey
It's a dozen years since High Chaparral, perhaps the most accomplished of all O'Brien's Racing Post winners, won under another unlikely jockey booking in Kevin Darley, and he did so having won the same Tipperary maiden 20 days previously.
A couple of years before him, Aristotle was the Ballydoyle third-string under George Duffield.
O’Brien has given upbeat reports on all three of his hopes and said: “We’re very happy with Century. He was a bit green on his one run, slowly away, but came through the field and learned plenty. We always had one eye on it (today’s race).”
He added: "Johann Struass is a horse we always thought a lot of. He was very babyish in his first race at Newmarket and was then just beaten at Naas. The mile should suit him.
"Buonarotti had a nice run first time in Galway and then he improved a good bit to win his maiden. The horse that was second to him won on Wednesday."
The outsider
Johnny Murtagh is twice a Racing Post winner as a jockey and Altruistic, third in the Beresford Stakes, is his hope of a first official Group One success as a trainer, while Pat Shanahan saddles the outsider Dolce N Karama.
Joseph O'Brien will also be in Doncaster action aboard his father's colt Stubbs in the opening Listed contest and on An Saighduir for Andrew Slattery in a five-furlong handicap.
