Futurity Trophy 2026

The William Hill Futurity Trophy brings the curtain down on the British Group 1 season at 1.30pm on Saturday, and only seven two year olds have stood their ground for the £275,000 prize after a major shake up at Thursday's declaration stage.

Aidan O'Brien, who holds the record with 12 wins, had 11 of the 17 entries on Monday but runs just three, with Haffner and Wall Street among those left out, while Charlie Appleby has also dropped First Law.

That leaves Beresford Stakes winner Noble Exhibit at the head of the market, with Royal Lodge runner up Burning Up, American Grade 1 winner Al Hudaiba and Champagne Stakes third Breacher the main threats.

The ground is the big story. Doncaster was soft, good to soft in places on Thursday morning, more rain is due on Thursday night and Friday, and clerk of the course David Attwood has already warned that heavy could creep into the description.

With the British trainers' title also on the line between O'Brien and Andrew Balding, there is plenty riding on this straight mile.

 

Futurity Trophy Winners, Trends & Stats

Future 2000 Guineas winners Camelot (2011), Magna Grecia (2018) and Kameko (2019) won this race as well as future classic winners Kingston Hill (2013), Mac Swiney (2020) and August Rodin (2022) more recently. 

  • 9 of the previous 12 winners had already run over this 1 mile trip 

  • 9 of the previous 12 winners had at least 2 previous wins 

  • 9 of the previous 12 winners had already won a group race

  • 9 of the previous 12 winners were from the top 3 in the betting

  • 8 of the previous 12 winners won on their previous start 

 

Futurity Trophy 2026 Odds

 

Futurity Trophy 2026 Runners Guide

NOBLE EXHIBIT

Trainer: Aidan O'Brien. Official rating 112. Form 311.

The Frankel colt has improved with every run. He was third behind Monogram on his debut at the Curragh, then won a Punchestown maiden over a mile by seven lengths before O'Brien paid to supplement him for the Group 2 Beresford Stakes. He made all there at 10/11, kicking on a furlong out to beat City Of Dubai by a length and a quarter, with stablemates Drumbeat and Shakespeare well held. Wayne Lordan said afterwards that a mile is ideal and that he can quicken off a nice even gallop. He is the highest rated O'Brien runner and the obvious pick of the Ballydoyle trio, but every run so far has come on good or good to yielding, and soft or heavy ground at Doncaster is a different test. At 6/4 he looks short given that unknown.

BURNING UP

Trainer: Karl Burke. Jockey: C Lee. Official rating 109. Form 112.

Burning Up won both his starts at Haydock over just short of a mile, the second of them on soft ground by a length and a quarter at 4/9. He then stepped up to Group 2 company in the Royal Lodge at Newmarket and finished second, a length and a quarter behind Haffner, with First Law back in fourth. Haffner and First Law are both missing here. Burke believes quicker ground and the Newmarket dip found him out that day, saying he wants cut in the ground and is a strong stayer. He is the only runner in the field with a win on soft ground, and the forecast plays straight into his hands.

AL HUDAIBA

Trainer: Charlie Appleby. Jockey: W Buick. Official rating 112. Form 1U1131.

On ratings he is joint top with Noble Exhibit and, as a Grade 1 winner already, he has the strongest record in the field. He won the Group 2 Superlative Stakes at Newmarket by a short head, was third in the Vintage Stakes at Goodwood, and then won the Grade 1 Summer Stakes on firm turf at Woodbine by a length and three quarters over a mile in September. He is talented but quirky. He unseated his rider at Yarmouth, hung badly in the Superlative and veered right after hitting the front in Canada. All six of his runs have come on good ground or quicker, and he earned a Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf place with that Woodbine win. Testing ground on a straight mile is a big question for a horse who has needed straightening up in his races.

BREACHER

Trainers: William Muir and Chris Grassick. Jockey: Lewis Edmunds. Official rating 103. Form 133.

Breacher won a Salisbury maiden by two and a half lengths at 12/1 and has since run two solid races in Pattern company. He finished third in the Group 3 Solario Stakes at Sandown on good to soft, beaten a length in total, and was third again in the Group 2 Champagne Stakes over this course in September. There he was outpaced before keeping on, finishing four and three quarter lengths behind Desert Castle and a length and three quarters behind Sergei Diaghilev. The way he stays on suggests this extra furlong should suit, and he has form on easy ground. On the book, though, he needs to find more to beat the principals.

GIANT SEQUOIA

Trainer: Aidan O'Brien. Official rating 107. Form 3116.

Another Frankel colt, Giant Sequoia won the Futurity Stakes at the Curragh in August, getting up in the final 50 yards to beat Florida Bay by half a length. He was well beaten next time in the Group 1 National Stakes, weakening into sixth of eight and finishing more than ten lengths behind Folsom Blues on yielding ground. He steps up to a mile for the first time and needs to bounce back from that defeat. He is the hardest of the O'Brien runners to judge.

GRAN DIA

Trainer: Andrew Balding. Jockey: Oisin Murphy. Unrated. Form 1.

A 380,000 guineas yearling by Lope De Vega, Gran Dia is the only runner with just one start behind him. He won a 12 runner novice over a mile at Salisbury on 1 October on good to soft, missing the break before leading over a furlong out and pulling two lengths clear. It was a nice start, but this is a huge jump in class. Balding is chasing O'Brien for the trainers' championship, which explains the ambitious placing. He handled easy ground on that debut and is open to plenty of improvement, but he has to find a lot.

SERGEI DIAGHILEV

Trainer: Aidan O'Brien. Official rating 107. Form 19122.

The forgotten O'Brien runner has been a model of consistency since the summer. He won the Listed Churchill Stakes over a mile at Gowran Park, chased home Desert Castle over seven furlongs here in the Champagne Stakes, finishing in front of Breacher, and was then caught close home when second by a neck to Rock Montreal in the Group 3 Autumn Stakes at Newmarket on good, good to soft in places. He already has a mile win, has course experience and handles a bit of ease. On ratings he is only five pounds behind the top pair, which makes 40/1 look generous for a horse who rarely runs a bad race. He raced up with the pace in both the Champagne and the Autumn Stakes.

Futurity Trophy Trainers & Jockeys To Watch

Aidan O’Brien has won this race a record 12 times including last year with Hawk Mountain (2025). 

Ryan Moore has won this race three times since 2017 on board Saxon Warrior (2017), Luxembourg (2021) and Auguste Rodin (2022). 

 

Steve Ryder's Futurity Trophy 2026 Tips

NOBLE EXHIBIT (best priced at 6/4) bids to emulate Saxon Warrior (2017), Luxembourg (2021), Hotazhell (2024) and Hawk Mountain (2025) who all won the Beresford Stakes prior to winning this race a month later. The son of Frankel was beaten on his debut over 7f but has won both of his starts over this 1 mile trip at both Punchestown and the Curragh. 

Making all last time in the Beresford Stakes under Wayne Lordan, he won with his ears pricked and the winning distance of 1 ¼ could underestimate his dominance. He looks the stable number 1 from Aidan O’Brien who has won this race a record 12 times previously. 

Recommended Bet: Noble Exhibit 6/4 (1pt)