European Road: Unbeaten Luxembourg tops Vertem Futurity Trophy

The antepost favorite for next year’s Epsom Derby (G1), Luxembourg brings a perfect 2-for-2 record to his first British venture. The son of 2011 Trophy winner Camelot, who came close to sweeping the English Triple Crown in 2012, impressed on debut at Killarney before a last-to-first conquest of the Beresford at the Curragh. Both were held over a mile, but around turns, so the Doncaster test will be his first down a straightaway, and on soft ground. 

Royal Patronage extended his winning streak to three in the Royal Lodge, where he came again to deny Godolphin’s highly-regarded Coroebus. The Mark Johnston trainee previously posted a front-running upset of the Acomb (G3) at York, in what turned out to be a key race. Imperial Fighter, runner-up in the Acomb, has since placed second to a resurgent Coroebus in the Oct. 9 Autumn (G3) at Newmarket. 

Bayside Boy, who has been mentioned as a Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) candidate, sports a win over this course in the seven-furlong Champagne (G2). The Roger Varian pupil got up in time to shock The Queen’s heavily favored Reach for the Moon. Most recently a better-than-appears third in the Dewhurst (G1), Bayside Boy should appreciate the step up to a mile.

Aidan O’Brien’s son Donnacha sends Sissoko, a six-length maiden winner at the Curragh. Fellow Irish shipper Mctigue was last seen battling to a Leopardstown maiden score for Jim Bolger, who won last year’s Trophy with Mac Swiney.

Rounding out the cast are Hannibal Barca, a winner at Salisbury in his latest, and Bullet Force, who comes off a pair of thirds in nurseries (handicaps for two-year-olds). 

The Vertem Futurity Trophy, offering points on the 10-4-2-1 scale on the European Road leaderboard, is set for 10:15 a.m. (ET). It is the last scoring opportunity on turf, as the Road resumes with all-weather events in March 2022.