Noble Exhibit leads O’Brien trio in Futurity Trophy at Doncaster

Oct 22, 2026 Kellie Reilly/Brisnet.com

Aerial view of the Doncaster Racecourse in South Yorkshire, England

Noble Exhibit, who earned 10 points on the Euro/Mideast Road to the Kentucky Derby by winning the Beresford (G2) at the Curragh, hopes to double his tally in Saturday’s Futurity Trophy (G1) at Doncaster.

A one-mile test down the straightaway, the Futurity Trophy offers points to the top five finishers on the 10-5-3-2-1 scale. It is the last turf race on the Euro/Mideast Road, with the subsequent action shifting to dirt in Dubai and Saudi Arabia and to all-weather tracks in Europe. The course at Doncaster is expected to be soft or possibly even heavy, depending upon how much of the forecast rain arrives.

Noble Exhibit leads a three-strong entry for legendary Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien, who has won the Futurity Trophy a record 12 times. The Frankel colt ranks as the strong favorite to pad O’Brien’s total. He has won both of his starts at a mile, and his front-running victory in the Beresford showed that he could handle rain-softened ground.

23 wins & counting for Aidan O'Brien in the G2. Churchill Tyres Beresford Stakes

Noble Exhibit lands the 2026 renewal pic.twitter.com/ovvP5uL9Hd

— The Curragh Racecourse (@curraghrace) September 26, 2026

Stablemates Sergei Diaghilev and Giant Sequoia are outsiders. Sergei Diaghilev has experience over the track, having finished second in the seven-furlong Champagne (G2). But his best efforts have come at a mile – a victory in a listed stakes at Gowran and  a close second in the Autumn (G3) at Newmarket last time out. Giant Sequoia could improve on the step up to a mile. The winner of the Futurity (G2) at the Curragh two back, Giant Sequoia hopes to rebound from a sixth in the Vincent O’Brien National (G1).

O’Brien is in a heated battle with Andrew Balding for the champion trainer’s title in the British standings, adding an extra dimension to their colts’ squaring off at Doncaster. Balding has one entrant, Gran Dia, who just won his debut over a mile at Salisbury.

Karl Burke sends out Burning Up, the runner-up in the first Euro/Mideast scoring race, the Royal Lodge (G2) at Newmarket. He’d previously won both of his starts going a mile at Haydock, including a novice on soft ground.

Godolphin’s Al Hudaiba was pre-entered in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1), having captured the “Win and You’re In” Summer (G1) at Woodbine. But the Charlie Appleby pupil won’t ship to Keeneland after all, preferring to tackle Doncaster instead. The most experienced entrant with six starts under his belt, Al Hudaiba scored his first stakes win in the Superlative (G2) at Newmarket and finished third by a half-length in the Vintage (G2) at Glorious Goodwood.

𝗔𝗟 𝗛𝗨𝗗𝗔𝗜𝗕𝗔 (𝗚𝗕) was green down the stretch in the G1 Summer S. @Woodbine, but talented enough to earn her ticket into the @BreedersCup Juvenile Turf.

William Buick was in the saddle for Charlie Appleby.#TwinSpiresReplay pic.twitter.com/C5JR5NdQlC

— TwinSpires Racing 🏇 (@TwinSpires) September 12, 2026

Well-regarded Breacher, third in the Champagne here last out, is bred to excel over further. The William Muir and Chris Grassick trainee was a rattling third in his stakes debut in the Solario (G3) on a rain-affected track, and the Futurity Trophy conditions could help him reach another level.

The Futurity Trophy is the second race at Doncaster Saturday, scheduled for 8:30 a.m. ET, and you can watch and wager at TwinSpires.com.