Doncaster: Kingsbarns seeing action in Racing Post Trophy Stakes

Steeler is the most accomplished horse in the Group 1 Racing Post Trophy Stakes on Saturday at Doncaster in England, but it is the once-started maiden winner Kingsbarns who moved the betting markets all week.

Trained by Aidan O’Brien, who sent Camelot out to win this 2-year-old race a year ago, Kingsbarns debuted on Oct. 10 at Navan, a lesser racecourse in Ireland. He beat seven foes in a maiden race, winning by seven lengths while traveling very easily, and all that is enough to make Kingsbarns a well-backed horse in what seems like a somewhat subpar edition of the one-mile Racing Post Trophy. Joseph O’Brien has the mount on this son of Galileo, who could turn out to be any sort of horse.

Steeler, by 2008 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Raven’s Pass, is a smallish colt who has so far not appeared especially brilliant, but Steeler tries very hard and has yet to run below form after five starts. He has won three of those races and finished second in the other two, and most recently beat Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf-bound Artigiano in the Group 2 Royal Lodge Stakes over one mile at Newmarket.

Just as well bet in the early Racing Post Trophy wagering, however, is Trading Leather, who was second to talented Battle of Marengo in his career debut before winning his two most recent races. Trading Leather, trained by Jim Bolger, made his stakes debut Oct. 13 and won the Group 3 Autumn Stakes, another one-mile Newmarket race.

The others entered are Birdman, First Cornerstone, Sir Patrick Moore, and Van Der Neer.