James Doyle has been booked for the plum ride on Kameko Futurity Trophy favourite Diego Velazquez at Doncaster on Saturday.

His trainer Aidan O’Brien has an enviable record in the Town Moor Group One and is responsible for five of the 11 possibles.

The Ballydoyle handler has won the race a record 11 times already and is going for three in a row on the back of Luxembourg (2021) and Auguste Rodin last year and also has Battle Cry, Chief Little Rock, Capulet and Henry Adams engaged.

Doyle partnered O’Brien’s Warm Heart to a Group One double this season in the Yorkshire Oaks and Prix Vermeille.

“Diego Velazquez looks the main one for the Futurity Trophy on Saturday,” said O’Brien.

“We are very happy with him since his last run and James Doyle has been booked for him.  We will probably run one other horse in the race and we are looking forward to it.”

Charlie Appleby and Godolphin supplemented impressive Autumn Stakes scorer Ancient Wisdom as expected having pleased in a weekend workout.

Appleby said: “He has come out of that piece of work in good shape so we were keen to supplement this morning. The ground is looking like it will be soft at Doncaster and I feel like he is going to be a very strong contender.”

Roger Teal is looking forward to taking on the big guns with Dancing Gemini, who followed up a Newbury maiden win by romping away with the Listed Flying Scotsman Stakes on Town Moor.

“Everything seems spot on with him and it’s all good at this stage,” said the Lambourn trainer. “He was very impressive at Doncaster last time and we’re looking forward to giving it a go.

“I think the mile will suit him, as he certainly wasn’t stopping there over seven furlongs – and when he won at Newbury, he was only just getting going in the closing stages.

“Soft ground obviously wouldn’t be a problem as it was pretty testing up there last month but, looking at the weather forecast, it could well end up heavy and that is always a bit of an unknown.

“But all we can do is roll our sleeves up and get on with it. It’s a good race and something like this is never going to be easy, but we’ll be giving it a real go.”

John and Thady Gosden could be represented by God’s Window, a course and distance maiden winner on soft ground when getting the better of Ben Brookhouse’s Redhot Whisper, who could reoppose.

David Menuisier will bid to follow up Sunway’s Group One success in France on Sunday by saddling Devil’s Point and outsider Deira Mile could make his debut for Owen Burrows after being switched from Charlie Johnston.

Desert Crown, an effortless winner of last year’s Derby at Epsom, has been put down due to the injury he picked up on the gallops in August.

Sir Michael Stoute’s sixth winner of the blue riband Classic only ran once more following his victory last June.

A setback prevented him from running again last season and while he did make it to the track for this year’s Brigadier Gerard Stakes, he lost his unbeaten record to Hukum.

He was forced to miss the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes due to a minor setback but he suffered a much more severe one when being prepared for the Juddmonte International at York.

Desert Crown fractured a fetlock and while it initially appeared as if he could be saved and be able to enjoy a stud career, he lost the battle on Monday at the Newmarket Equine Hospital.

“There’s not a lot to say other than it is just very, very sad,” said Philip Robinson, assistant racing manager to owner Saeed Suhail.

“Everything was done to try and save him, we thought he was making progress but then he just started going backwards.

“With a severe injury like that there is a lot of pressure with the weight of the animal standing on it, but we really thought he was going to get there and it’s very sad he didn’t make it.

“You can try and help them with supports for the leg but at the end of the day they’ve got to be able to stand on their own.

“He had the best available treatment anywhere in the world, if he couldn’t be saved here then he couldn’t be saved anywhere.

“He was a fantastic horse and his Derby win was an incredible day that we’ll never forget.”

Scott Dixon does not envisage being away from his Southwell racecourse base for long after flooding forced the handler to dramatically relocate his horses to Wolverhampton.

The trainer operates out of yards at both all-weather tracks but was left with the challenge of moving 40 of his horses as his Southwell facility bore the brunt of Storm Babet.

Having successfully shifted his Southwell string across the midlands to Dunstall Park, Dixon is eager to catch his breath before contemplating a return to the Nottinghamshire venue.

“Our yard at Southwell is totally and utterly clear of water and the water level receded pretty quickly,” explained Dixon.

“We’ll just take a deep breath, let the horses settle, and the horse’s who are due to be running at Wolverhampton during this busy month or two will naturally stop there.

“We’ve got a bit of a clean-up process at Southwell and when we move back there will all depend on when the track is back in action, which will be sooner rather than later I would have thought.

“It will be a moving timescale and we will take it day by day and we’ll be moving some of the horses back as soon as we can use the track for exercise.”

Dixon is thankful he is in the unique position of having stabling facilities to operate out of both Southwell and Wolverhampton, which meant he simply had to beat the rising water overflowing from the nearby River Greet rather than worry about what location a majority of his string could be transported to.

He added: “For now we’re absolutely fine where we are and thank goodness we are in a bit of a unique situation anyway in that we’ve got two yards.

“We’ve got Southwell and Wolverhampton and if we didn’t have that then getting 40 horses relocated to somewhere that has the facilities to exercise are few and far between.

“The important thing is all the horses are absolutely fine and all the staff are also absolutely fine.

“All animals and people are fine and the horses have dealt with it remarkably well, they have all eaten up and trotted up fine out on the track at Wolverhampton and we’ve managed to get every single horse out who was supposed to go out today.

“We’re keeping the show on the road and we’ve got multiple runners at Wolverhampton and we are just kicking on.”

The trainer has also hailed the efforts of his staff and the assistance of those nearby as the they pulled together to escape a potentially dangerous situation unscathed.

“Credit goes both to my team and some of the guys still at the racecourse and various people who came to help us during the whole process,” said Dixon.

“It’s less than ideal but you have just got to get your sensible head on and figure it out and as always the priority is always the horses and the people and the animals. We pulled it together and got it done.”

The fixtures at Southwell on October 26, October 30, November 2 and November 4 have been abandoned.

There will be no Breeders’ Cup this year for the high-class speedster Inquisitively, who will try to continue climbing the sprinting ladder when he returns next season.

After an encouraging start to his career when trained by Ollie Sangster, the son of Ten Sovereigns is unbeaten in two starts since switching to Kevin Philippart De Foy, claiming Listed honours at York before progressing to Group Three company to win the Cornwallis Stakes in taking fashion.

That all-the-way success at Newmarket prompted discussions of a crack at the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint where the youngster’s blistering early speed could have proved a real asset.

However, a trip to Santa Anita has now been ruled out with Inquisitively set for a winter break ahead of returning to training next year – where a shot at Royal Ascot’s Commonwealth Cup could be on agenda despite the handler’s reservations about the colt’s stamina over six furlongs.

“He’s not going to go (to America), he has gone for a winter break and we will bring him back next year,” said Philippart De Foy.

“The programme is difficult for a three-year-old over five furlongs early in the season but I suppose we will have to try him over six at some point and see how he gets on. He’s obviously a very exciting horse to have.”

He went on: “We will see how he does over the winter but I have my reservations over the six-furlong trip.

“In both of our races for us he has looked very sharp out of the gates and is a strong traveller who quickens well over five furlongs.”

Harry Fry will saddle his first runner in a Group One when Metier heads to ParisLongchamp for the Prix Royal-Oak on Sunday.

A Grade One winner over hurdles, the seven-year-old has proven equally proficient when crossing over to compete on the level in recent seasons, winning last year’s November Handicap at Doncaster and pouncing late to claim the Chester Cup this term.

Metier will now face his toughest challenge to date as he not only steps up in class, but bids to get his handler off the mark in France.

Fry said: “We looked at our options for this time of year and we decided to aim at the Prix Royal-Oak. You would like to think with how the weather has been that conditions would suit.

“Obviously, he is going to have to step up again, but he won the Chester Cup the hard way, from a wide draw and coming from way back, when given a great ride by Saffie Osborne, so hopefully there is more to come from him and it will be interesting to see how he gets on in Group One company.

“We have had a handful of runners in France over jumps and things, but yet to bring home a winner, so it would be a great way to break that duck.”

Metier has not been seen since galloping to big-race success on the Roodee in May, with fast ground ruling him out of a possible start at Royal Ascot.

The necessity for a break kept Metier in his stable during the height of summer when the unseasonably wet weather would have made conditions ideal for the soft ground-favouring gelding.

However, Fry is hoping patience will be rewarded as his charge returns from over five months off the track.

“We haven’t seen him out since the Chester Cup success, but we did train him for Royal Ascot on the off chance the ground came in his favour,” the Grosvenor Sport ambassador continued. “Obviously, that was always going to be an outside chance.

“He needed to have a little break having been on the go all last winter, so we gave him a break and then almost immediately the rain started to arrive, which is typical.

“We know him well enough now and what conditions suit and that is why we have waited and bided our time. Hopefully conditions have come right for him and we are looking forward to the challenge.”

Metier is set to be reunited with Saffie Osborne for his cross-Channel adventure, where the duo will search for a third victory together.

Fry added: “I think Saffie would be pretty upset if she is not onboard and he is very much Saffie’s ride unless she tells me she is going to be elsewhere!

“I think she has been ticking off the days until she is reunited with him. She gave him a brilliant ride to win at Chester and also won the November Handicap on him and they have formed a great partnership.”

Prix de la Foret scorer Kelina could get the chance to evoke memories of Goldikova if lining up at the Breeders’ Cup next month.

Trained by Carlos Laffon-Parias, the daughter of Frankel has won four of her nine career starts and left a couple of Group One disappointments in the past when conquering defending champion Kinross to strike at ParisLongchamp.

Connections are now eyeing a run in the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Santa Anita, a race owner-breeders the Wertheimer brothers have a fine record in thanks to the all-conquering Goldikova.

“If everything goes well, and if she gets in the race of course, then we will try and run in the Breeders’ Cup Mile with her – that is the plan,” said Pierre-Yves Bureau, racing manager for the owners.

“I think the mile and the track at Santa Anita with good ground, which we know is important for her, will suit.

“I think she has enough speed to go for this race and with good ground and the performance she did the other day, hopefully she will be up to that level.

“Of course we don’t know what the field will be, but its a big race so it is probably going to be a really strong field and hopefully she can show the best of her ability.”

Kelina will be attempting to follow in illustrious footsteps when she bids to carry the blue and white colours to another famous victory at the end-of-season showpiece in California.

And it is somewhat fitting that the three-year-old will take to the track in Santa Anita – the scene of the first of Goldikova’s three-straight victories in the Breeders’ Cup Mile.

“It is true that there is a close link with the Breeders’ Cup because of Goldikova, but there has also been Halfbridled and Kotashaan,” continued Bureau.

“Especially in Santa Anita, I think that is where Goldikova did her best performance and it is a special race.

“The most important thing is the filly can show her best. She has a lot of talent, but she needs to get in the race first, then a good draw and then we will see who she has to fight with.

“It would be very nice if she could do something good over there.”

Racing will take a prime time evening slot on ITV as the sport is due to become the subject of a new six-part docuseries airing in 2024.

Filming for the programme will begin in December and will follow the 2023-2024 National Hunt season in Britain, focusing on both humans and equines and providing viewers with a behind the scenes perspective on the industry.

The series will be produced by South Shore, makers of similar sports-themed programmes such as the Bafta-nominated ‘Freddie Flintoff’s Field of Dreams’, which was broadcast on BBC1.

The concept is to be supported by Racecourse Media Group and Flutter, whose betting brands include Betfair, Paddy Power and Sky Bet, with hour-long episodes expected to be aired at 9pm next summer.

Julie Harrington, chief executive of the British Horseracing Authority, said: “This is an extremely exciting development for the sport. The industry’s strategy is all about reaching new audiences and showing them the brilliance of our sport, while at the same time making racing more interesting and engaging for our current fans.

“There promises to be a little bit of something for everyone in this new programme. We’re proud of our sport and all it stands for, and anything that brings the passion and excitement of racing and the characters who work in it into people’s homes can only be a good thing.”

The Professional Jockeys Association have lent their support to the project and Dale Gibson, their interim CEO, said: ”This is a great result for racing. We’re delighted that it will show off the skills, determination and personalities of some of our outstanding jump jockeys, whilst raising their profiles and helping to promote the sport to a new audience. A win all round.”

The National Trainers Federation are also in support and Paul Johnson, their CEO, said: “This is a simply brilliant initiative for the sport and highlights how fortunate we are to work with such a supportive broadcaster in ITV. We have no doubt that getting to know some of racing’s characters and their day-to-day stories will help showcase our sport in a way that we have not seen before.”

Simon Daglish, deputy managing director of commercial for ITV said: “Racing drives an enormous amount of passion and excitement among ITV viewers as we know from our unrivalled coverage.

“This new series is a fantastic chance to build on that excitement and bring this adrenaline filled sport to a new audience. We are delighted to be working with the racing community to showcase racing in a way that has never been seen before.”

St Leger hero Continuous is on course for a clash with Equinox in the Japan Cup.

Aidan O’Brien’s three-year-old followed up his Classic success at Doncaster by staying on to finish fifth in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

Plans for a potential trip to Ascot for British Champions Day had to be shelved due to a minor setback, but the son of Heart’s Cry has now fully recovered.

O’Brien has never managed to win the Japan Cup, but stable jockey Ryan Moore knows what it takes to triumph in Tokyo, having partnered last year’s victor Vela Azul for Kunihiko Watanabe.

“We were going to go back for the Champion Stakes with him, but he got a bit of a temperature, so obviously when they get a temperature, you have to medicate them, and when you medicate them, it takes them out of the race,” O’Brien told Racing TV.

“But he’s back fine, he’s back cantering again, so the plan with him is to go to the Japan Cup (November 26).

“We were delighted with his run in the Arc. Ryan took his time, like he always does with him, and the pace just went a little bit slow in the middle of the race and that was the way it was, but he came home very well.

“Ryan was very happy with him after the run, he said his run was way better than everyone thinks it was, so hopefully we’ll go back to the Japan Cup with him.

“It’s a race we’ve never won and you need a good horse to win it, so it would be great if we could be competitive in it.

“It’ll suit him all right, because he’s a good traveller, he can handle fast and soft ground, it doesn’t matter.

“He’s got a great mind and he’s got a lot of ability that horse – he’s probably better than everyone thinks he is.”

Meanwhile, stablemate Auguste Rodin is being aimed at a fourth top-level triumph of the year in the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Santa Anita.

The Deep Impact colt is a dual Derby winner and was last seen coming home in front in the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown.

“That’s been the plan for him all the time,” added O’Brien. “He’s done great, too. He’s had a nice break from Leopardstown and that’s probably a break like he’s never had and he’s got strong.

“All the team are delighted with him and we’re really looking forward to it.

“He’s really grown up and he’s another horse that didn’t get a chance to mature, as we trained him for the Guineas and then on to the Derby, the next Derby and the King George, so it’s tough for those baby three-year-olds.

“But we’re very happy with him, he’s had a nice little run into this and we’re looking forward to it.”

Royal Ascot scorer Crimson Advocate will lead George Weaver’s three-pronged attack on the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Santa Anita.

Crimson Advocate provided her American handler with a first winner at the Royal meeting when blazing a trail in the hands of John Velazquez before showing real guts to hold off William Haggas’ Relief Rally in a thrilling finish to the Queen Mary Stakes.

That form has been boosted by the runner-up who is unbeaten in two starts since and having been freshened up over the summer months, Weaver is confident his daughter of Nyquist can dominate once again when returning to the track in California next month.

“She is breezing great and hopefully she can get a good trip and show us what she can do,” said the handler.

“I wanted to give her a break when she came back (from Ascot). She had a busy campaign and is not an overly big filly – she’s an April foal. It just seemed like a good time (to take a break) and there wasn’t anything lucrative for her over here in the summer. I just wanted to freshen her up and have her right for the big race.

“She’s doing as good as she ever has, so we’re looking forward to it.”

Joining Crimson Advocate on the teamsheet for the $1,000,000 contest are stablemates No Nay Mets and Amidst Waves.

The former, who is owned by baseball star Alex Bregman, disappointed when the mount of Frankie Dettori in the Norfolk Stakes but has since displayed his class on home soil with victories in both the Tyro Stakes at Monmouth Park and the Rosie’s Stakes at Colonial Downs.

Meanwhile, Amidst Waves has won three of her five career starts and, having secured black-type victories at both Monmouth and Saratoga, earnt her place in the line-up with a fine run to finish a nose second to Committee Of One in Keeneland’s Indian Summer Stakes earlier this month.

“All three of them are going for the race,” continued Weaver.

“At Ascot, that wasn’t No Nay Mets, that wasn’t him. I don’t know if he needed to be ridden differently or it was the ground – Frankie said he wasn’t in the right part of the turf course – but he is better than that and he has shown it since he has come back here.

“They are all legitimate contenders, it’s not like only one of them is a legitimate contender and the others just hopefuls. All three of them have put together resumes that make them look good in this race.

“I hate to run horses against each other, but I guess I would rather have three for one race than none.”

Scottish Champion Hurdle hero Rubaud made a successful start to his campaign with a front-running victory in the Trustatrader Approved And Reviewed Trades People Hurdle at Kempton.

The five-year-old had won four of his seven previous starts for champion trainer Paul Nicholls, including Grade Two triumphs in the Dovecote Novices’ Hurdle at this track in February and on his most recent outing at Ayr in April.

With Harry Cobden in the saddle, Rubaud was sent off at 2-1 for his reappearance and proceeded to lead his rivals a merry dance from flag-fall on his way to a near three-length victory.

Too Friendly was best of the rest in second, with 13-8 favourite First Street third and Alan King’s popular veteran Sceau Royal – seeking a third straight win in this Listed event – back in fourth.

Nicholls said of the winner: “I thought he would improve (for the run), but to compete at this sort of level he had to improve as at the weights he had a tough old task from last year, but he has gone and done that.

“I thought beforehand he looked big enough for his first run of the season so he will improve. He will now go to Wincanton in three weeks’ time for the Elite Hurdle. That was always the plan to come here and then go to Wincanton as it suits him to go right-handed.”

Looking further down the line, Rubaud could return to Kempton on Boxing Day for a potential clash with the mighty Constitution Hill.

Nicholls added: “We will probably run him in the Christmas Hurdle as someone has got to finish second to Nicky’s (Henderson) horse, and it is good prize-money.

“We will stay hurdling and go chasing next autumn as he is only five. He is a good level hurdler and we can choose our races with him and then go chasing next autumn.

“The two Grade Two races, the one in a few weeks, and the one in February (Kingwell Hurdle) will suit him quite well.”

Charlie Longsdon’s Rare Edition is due to start his chasing career when the ground conditions allow.

The six-year-old was a three-time winner last season, taking a trio of novice hurdles by sizeable margins before finishing second in the Listed Sidney Banks at Huntingdon.

He was pulled up in the Supreme at the Cheltenham Festival and then finished down the field in the Top Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree.

However, a transition to chasing has since been afoot, and the gelding will make a debut over fences when the right race and the right conditions come up.

“I just don’t want to see him on very soft ground, he’s ready to go but we’re just trying to find the right race for him,” Longsdon said.

“He’ll be going over fences for the first time, so we’re just holding out to try to find the right race.

“He’s been very good, we’ve been very happy with him and we’re looking forward to getting going, to be honest.

“We’ll start out at two miles, in the future we might want to step him up but for the minute we’ll very much be keeping him at two.”

Longsdon has another chaser to follow in Guetapan Collonges, a true stayer who took two contests last term and performed with credit over marathon trips in both the Classic Chase at Warwick and Midlands Grand National at Uttoxeter.

The latter two races will be on the agenda again this season after the seven-year-old made a winning start to the term at Carlisle on Thursday.

“It’s a good starting point, then we’ll probably go and look for some of the nice staying chases as the season goes on,” the trainer said.

“There’s Haydock in November and December and there are probably quite a lot of other nice valuable chases in the coming months.

“I can easily see him going back to Warwick for the Classic Chase and going for the Midlands National, all those decent staying chases, he’ll have entries for them all.”