Diego Velazquez takes on heavy ground in Futurity Trophy

The Group 1 Futurity Trophy Stakes on Saturday, last important flat race of the year in England, might turn into a swimming competition. Doncaster Racecourse, like much of the country, is waterlogged. The going was rated heavy as of Thursday and things could get wetter still.

That means early favorite Diego Velazquez will be trying something entirely new. The going was good when he cruised to an easy debut win in a maiden race at The Curragh and was good again when he beat his Aidan O’Brien-trained stablemate Capulet in the Group 2 Champions Mile on Sept. 9 at Leopardstown. Maybe Diego Velazquez will be just fine over heavy turf – maybe he won’t.

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Ancient Wisdom finished a distant third making his stakes debut July 29 in a listed seven-furlong contest at Ascot, but the easy winner of that race, Rosallion, has gone on to become a Group 1 winner while Ancient Wisdom probably has improved. Supplemented into the one-mile, straight-course Futurity by Godolphin and trainer Charlie Appleby. Ancient Wisdom exits a soft-ground win in the Group 3 Autumn Stakes, a straight mile at Newmarket where he won by nearly four lengths over yet another O’Brien youngster, Chief Little Rock.

Dancing Gemini makes his group race debut but was an easy listed winner last out in a seven-furlong race run over soft going at Doncaster. He, unlike Diego Velazquez, will be at least somewhat familiar with his Saturday circumstances.

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