O’Brien admits going concerns ahead of Rodin’s Trophy test

Heavy ground at Doncaster worrying the favourite’s trainer.

Aidan O’Brien has admitted to being concerned about the ground at Doncaster ahead of Derby favourite Auguste Rodin’s intended appearance in Saturday’s Vertem Futurity Trophy.

The master of Ballydoyle has saddled 10 previous winners of the Town Moor Group One, a joint record with the late Sir Henry Cecil.

He has the chance to become the race’s most successful trainer outright if either Auguste Rodin or his stablemate Salt Lake City can prevail this weekend, although the participation of the likely favourite appears far from certain.

Auguste Rodin had to settle for second on debut behind Beresford Stakes scorer Crypto Force, but is unbeaten since and shot to the top of the betting lists for next year’s Epsom Classic when securing Group Two honours at Leopardstown on Irish Champions Weekend.

Speaking on Sky Sports Racing on Friday evening, though, O’Brien warned: “He definitely doesn’t want heavy ground – he’s a beautiful moving horse with loads of class.

“His mother (Rhododendron) won in soft ground and I suppose we’ll have to see, but he’s definitely not a soft ground horse.

“Nobody has really seen what he can do yet on the track. The ground is obviously not ideal, but he’s very fit and came forward loads from Leopardstown.

“Whether it’s the right thing to bottom him on bad ground or not, I’m not sure – the lads (owners) will have a discussion about what they want to do.

“We’re very happy with the place he’s in at the moment and obviously the heavy ground is the unknown thing. Whether we let him run for experience or keep him for next year, we’ll see.

“It’s all going to depend on how bad that ground is.”

Epictetus (white), Holloway Boy (rail) and Dancing Magic (orange) chase home Silver Knott at Newmarket
Epictetus (white), Holloway Boy (rail) and Dancing Magic (orange) chase home Silver Knott at Newmarket (Tim Goode/PA)

Epictetus was a taking winner on debut in the summer and it was arguably only inexperience that cost him when beaten a neck by Silver Knott in the Autumn Stakes earlier this month.

Holloway Boy was third on that occasion and the Clarehaven team will be looking to at least confirm form with the Karl Burke-trained Royal Ascot scorer here.

“He obviously ran really well in the Autumn at Newmarket and just hit the front and got a bit lonely on only his second start,” said Thady Gosden, who trains in partnership with father John.

“He has come forward since then and has been well in himself since the race. It would be no surprise if he gets a mile and a quarter next year, he’s a talented colt.”

Fourth at HQ in the Autumn Stakes was Dancing Magic and Roger Teal believes his charge is capable of pulling off a shock on Town Moor, especially now the heavens have opened.

He said: “He is crying out for a bit of juice in the ground.

“I think you’ll see a big improvement from him in soft conditions. He has never disgraced us. The ground, as Jim (Crowley) said last time, was just on the quick side a little bit and he just drifted across the track a little bit in the dip, just feeling the quicker conditions.”

David Loughnane’s exciting Nottingham winner King Of Steel is an interesting runner, moving up to the top table only 10 days after romping to victory in his maiden at Colwick Park.

“Clearly it is a huge step up on the back of just one run, but it has been done before that route, going from a maiden to a race like this,” said Emily Scott, racing manager for owners Amo Racing.

“He doesn’t have as much form to his name as some in the race, but he could only beat what was in front of him at Nottingham and did it in a very eye-catching style.

“He is a horse for the future, but he has come out of the race well and deserves to take his chance. Amo Racing is always as ambitious as it can be with its horses and although he has a lovely profile for the future, we want to give him a bit of a test as a two-year-old as well.

“He is a quality individual and a big horse with a round action that I’m sure will cope well with the autumn conditions. We’re excited to see how he shapes up against some of the best juveniles of this year.”

Also running in Group One company for the first time is impressive Newbury scorer Stormbuster, who represents an Andrew Balding stable that has landed this prize with Elm Park in 2014 and Kameko in 2019.

The field is rounded off by Ralph Beckett’s Captain Wierzba, who was at the centre of the Christophe Soumillon storm when Rossa Ryan was unshipped from the son of Night Of Thunder at Saint-Cloud.

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