The Futurity Trophy at Doncaster on Saturday afternoon is the final Group 1 prize of the Flat season in Britain and the centrepiece of a quality eight-race offering from the Town Moor venue.
The big race is over a mile and due to go off at 2.40 and is one of three live ITV contests from Doncaster on Saturday afternoon.
Enda McElhinney has tips for each of the live terrestrial contests from the south Yorkshire circuit.
Saturday’s ITV Doncaster tips
1.30 Doncaster – Fast Track Harry each-way
2.05 Doncaster – Designer each-way
2.40 Doncaster – Hotazhell
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1.30 Doncaster – Fast Track Harry each-way
Listed fare to begin at Doncaster via the Prospect Stakes over 6f and it is a contest that has attracted a field of eight, with Bounty for Aidan O’Brien, Diego Ventura for Hamad Al Jehani and the Ralph Beckett-trained Arctic Voyage amongst those likely to be fancied.
The dead-eight remain and so Fast Track Harry is well worth a look for trainer Clive Cox. A colt by the trainer’s Group 1-winning sprinter Harry Angel, he made a pleasing start last month when bagging a Newbury maiden (6f, soft) on debut, putting away easy next-time-out novice winner Almeraq with plenty up his sleeve.
He’s got to step up but he showed a useful level of ability on debut, will have learned plenty and the booking of William Buick to ride has to be a positive.
2.05 Doncaster – Designer each-way
The mare Designer finished second in this Class 2 sprint handicap for trainer John Butler in 2022 in her only previous Doncaster start.
She ran well that day but was unable to down Fast Response, another smart mare that was in the midst of some really excellent form when the mud was flying.
Designer, meanwhile, handles any conditions underfoot, as she showed when scoring at York in August last year in a Class 2 event off a mark of 92.
She was back from 319 days off when down the field in that same event on the Knavesmire this season in a first-time tongue-tie, but ran much better at Haydock (5f, soft) last time with the aid removed.
It was only very late on in that race she faded and she has been eased 2lb here and gets Jamie Spencer in the plate for the first time in a likely attempt to play her cards late.
2.40 Doncaster – Hotazhell
A quality Futurity Trophy in prospect and contenders like Wimbledon Hawkeye and unbeaten Anno Domini aren’t passed over in haste but Jessica Harrington’s Hotazhell is very much a major player.
The Too Darn Hot colt has improved with every run, bagging a Leopardstown Group 3 over 7f on his third start and then running second behind Henri Matisse in the 7f Futurity Stakes at the Curragh when he very much shaped as if wanting further.
That form has worked out, the first and third scrapping out the Group 1 National Stakes at the Curragh next time, while Hotazhell showed more improvement for meeting the mile in the Beresford Stakes back at the Kildare venue last month.
If he handles this slower surface, Shane Foley’s partner is a key player.
*all odds correct at time of writing and subject to change
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