Futurity Trophy Stakes weekend 2025: Analysis and preview as Aidan O’Brien chases Group One record at Doncaster

Futurity Trophy Stakes Weekend gets underway this weekend, with the final Group One race of the 2025 season headlining the event at Doncaster racecourse. 

Two days, featuring two seven-race cards, are highlighted by the Weekend’s namesake race, the Futurity Trophy Stakes, due off at 2:05pm on Saturday, October 25. 

A prize fund of £113,000 will be awarded to the connections of the horse who best navigates the straight-mile of Doncaster’s iconic turf course. 

The race is set to hold extra significance for trainer Aidan O’Brien, as he remains in search of setting the record number of Group/Grade One winners in a singular season. 

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Benvenuto Cellini

O’Brien is the current record holder and this race – for which he holds the record number of wins (11) – will likely prove pivotal in whether the Irishman will better his 2017 total of 28 winners. 

According to the market, Benvenuto Cellini represents his yard’s leading chance at claiming its first victory in this race since 2022. 

The two-year-old colt is currently trading as the (8/11) ante-post favourite and is one of three O’Brien runners priced shorter than 10/1 – Hawk Mountain and Pierre Bonnard the other two. 

After three career starts – all of which came in Ireland – the favourite has been in the winners enclosure twice, finishing second on his debut at The Curragh, back in June. 

He is already a Group Two winner, after winning the Champions Juvenile Stakes – at Leopardstown – and at the Irish Champions Festival on his latest start. 

After that race, O’Brien was impressed and hinted at potential future endeavours when he said: “He looks like he’s going to be a lovely middle-distance horse. 

“He’s lovely and we couldn’t be happier. He was always going to be a Derby trial horse. Christophe (Soumillon) said he feels like a French Derby horse. 

“He can go again this year, the Futurity or one of the French races, and then start in the Derby trials next year.”

Hawk Mountain

Hawk Mountain is the joint-second favourite, ahead of Pierre Bonnard (7/1), with both helping to give O’Brien’s Ballydoyle contingent a strong hand in South Yorkshire. 

The former has the same credentials as the favourite, as he is a Group Two winner after three starts, beating Geryon – who had previously finished second in a Group Two contest – in that race. 

In the aftermath of that race, Chris Armstrong, representing O’Brien’s yard, said: “He’s a smashing colt.

“Obviously, he’s got the sire and the dam and he has plenty of size and scope. Whatever he does at two, we think will be a bonus.

“Ronan gave him a lovely ride, he had his ears pricked the whole way around and there was plenty in there. 

“He felt he was still green, even coming up to the line. It’s a good sign and hopefully he’ll improve again.

“He’s in the mix for the Futurity Trophy in Doncaster or maybe he could go to France for the race in Saint-Cloud. 

“He’s one to look forward to for middle distances next year.”

Pierre Bonnard

His maiden win came on his second outing, when – after finishing fifth (behind Geryon) on debut – he defeated a horse who has since gone on to beat another O’Brien-trained favourite.  

Pierre Bonnard, meanwhile, also became a winner in Group Company on his latest outing, though – unlike his stablemates – it came on English soil, in a Group Three contest at Newmarket. 

After which, O’Brien said: “He’s a lovely big horse and he’s still a baby who does everything easy at home.

“We’ve always liked him a lot and he’s a very big horse, he’s only going to improve.”

It was his third career start after finishing fourth on debut, at Leopardstown, and winning a maiden on Dundalk’s all-weather course. 

Item

Trainer Andrew Balding’s Item is the chief threat to the Irish protagonists, as he is the sole non-O’Brien runner within the first four of the betting; trading at 6/1 – alongside Hawk Mountain. 

He boasts a perfect (2/2) record – after winning at Kempton and Bath – and will look to carry the colours of owners Juddmonte to victory for the first time. 

Those two wins came in Class Four Maiden and Novice events, though jockey Rob Hornby, who rode the Colt to victory on his latest start, said: ”This isn’t an easy course for a big horse like that.

“He finds the galloping part the easy part and would have learnt more before and after the race and Doncaster will suit him.

“He’s only been on the grass once before at home, so it’s exciting for connections. 

“You’d love to use that beautiful big stride on a track like Doncaster and he has big feet, so cut in the ground wouldn’t be an issue there.”

Oxagon & Cape Orator

Outside of the first four in the betting lies Oxagon and Cape Orator, both of whom represent British trainers.  

The former has won one of his four starts – a Class Four Novice – before finishing second in a Group Two race at this course and fifth in a Group One at Newmarket. 

He will hope to give joint father/son trainers John and Thady Gosden their first Futurity Trophy Stakes victory. 

He trades at 8/1 in the betting, whilst Cape Orator is at 10’s to give trainer Ralph Beckett his first win in the race too. 

The aforementioned colt is a three-time winner from five career starts, two of which came in France, and he has also placed third in a Group Two race at this course. 

Next in the betting is Action – another O’Brien entrant – at 12/1, whilst both Dorset and New Zealand also remain in the race for the Ballydoyle trainer, at 20/1 and 25/1, respectively. 

READ MORE: Futurity Stakes weekend 2025: Dates, how to watch on TV, trainers and jockeys to watch