2021 Vertem Futurity Trophy Tips - Johnston's juvenile the one to beat at Doncaster

We've taken a look through the betting for this weekend's main event and picked out our best betting tips.

Aidan O'Brien needs one more victory to match Sir Henry Cecil's record tally of ten wins in this Group One. He'll be solely represented by Luxembourg, who ran out a comfortable winner of the Beresford Stakes last time out.

Royal Patronage steps up to Group One company after victories in the Acomb and Royal Lodge Stakes. Bayside Boy will have his first start over a mile, having won the Champagne Stakes before a decent third in the Dewhurst.

Imperial Fighter has finished second in both the Royal Lodge and the Autumn Stakes this season, and he too will make his Group One debut. Sissoko and Mctigue make the trip over from Ireland. Hannibal Barca and Bullet Force round off the field.

By his immeasurably high standards, it's been a poor season for Aidan O'Brien. On home soil, O'Brien has endured his worst year since 2008, when he only managed 74 winners. Ireland's Champion Trainer has only saddled ten winners in 118 starts here in Britain, and Snowfall accounts for three of those ten. Of his 55 runners over the past two weeks, only three have managed to win - a worrying stat for any trainer.

Luxembourg has done everything asked of him thus far and looks an excellent prospect for next year's Epsom Derby. However, he has started slowly on both his starts and hit flat spots at crucial stages. 

Ryan Moore's mount has only faced two mediocre fields thus far. On Saturday, though, he faces several horses who are proven at the highest level. Another slow start could be fatal for the favourite, especially when there's a front-runner as hardy as ROYAL PATRONAGE lining up in opposition.

Since losing out to Native Trail on his second career start, Mark Johnston's juvenile has claimed three straight victories. Royal Patronage made all to claim an emphatic maiden win at Epsom, before upsetting the odds to win the Acomb Stakes at York, again in dominant fashion.

Jason Hart's mount made the running in the Royal Lodge Stakes last time out, but was passed by Coroebus coming out of the dip. However, as William Buick's mount began to tie up in the closing stages, Royal Patronage fought back to snatch that Group One under the shadow of the post.

Coroebus has since boosted that form with a superb victory in the Autumn Stakes, where he beat another of Saturday's runners, Imperial Fighter by two lengths. Royal Patronage has proven his stamina over this distance and, if allowed to dictate the tempo from the front, he could be very hard to peg back.