Mogul leads Ballydoyle quintet in Futurity

Andrew Balding’s Kameko completes field of six.

Hot favourite Mogul is one of five runners for Aidan O’Brien in a six-strong field for the Vertem Futurity Trophy at Doncaster.

The Ballydoyle handler has saddled nine previous winners of the final Group One of the British Flat turf season – one short of the record set by the late Sir Henry Cecil.

O’Brien first struck gold with Saratoga Springs in 1997 and has since added to his tally with the likes of High Chaparral (2001), St Nicholas Abbey (2009), Camelot (2011) and the last two winners of the 2000 Guineas in Saxon Warrior and Magna Grecia respectively.

There was a surprise on Monday when the confirmations revealed O’Brien was responsible for 11 of the 12 remaining contenders, with Andrew Balding’s Kameko the only entrant not trained in County Tipperary.

That number has now been whittled down to five, with Mogul the apparent first string after claiming his second win from three starts in a Group Two at Leopardstown last month.

He is joined by Innisfree – also a dual winner after following up success at the Galway Festival with victory in the Group Two Beresford Stakes at the Curragh – as well as Iberia, Louisiana and Royal County Down.

Kameko has sound claims for Balding and Qatar Racing. Since making a winning debut at Sandown in July, the son of Kitten’s Joy has been touched off by the Clive Cox-trained Positive in the Solario Stakes and O’Brien’s Royal Dornoch in the Royal Lodge.

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