Charlie Appleby aiming for another Futurity with Anno Domini

Charlie Appleby feels Anno Domini is worthy of a step up to the highest level as he bids to give the Godolphin handler back-to-back victories in Saturday's William Hill Futurity Trophy Stakes at Doncaster.

Appleby has assembled a crack team of juveniles this term and having won both two-year-old Group Ones at Newmarket recently with Desert Flower and Shadow Of Light, the unbeaten Anno Domini will now put his own top-level credentials to the test on Town Moor.

Appleby saddled Ancient Wisdom to pick up this prize 12 months ago and his latest contender heads to South Yorkshire with a perfect record having won at Newbury on debut before comfortably accounting for a cast that included Beresford Stakes third Windlord at Sandown in July.

"He’s two from two and he’s a breeze-up horse who won well on debut and went and backed it up with a cosy performance at Sandown," said Appleby.

"I think he might appreciate slower conditions as long as it’s not heavy, because he is a horse I’m stepping up in trip and coming off the back of a bit of a lay-off.

"It’s always a race where you need to see it out well in conditions, but his homework has been good and we’re going there with a bit of confidence behind him.

"He beat some nice horses at Sandown and as I say, he’s a breeze-up horse who had those two runs and everything came quite quick, so he deserved to have the break and he’s done very well physically for it."

No one can match Aidan O’Brien’s record in this particular contest, with the likes of High Chaparral (2001), St Nicholas Abbey (2009), Camelot (2012) and more recently Auguste Rodin (2022) on the roll of honour.

The master of Ballydoyle now bids for a record-extending 12th win with Autumn Stakes victor Delacroix, who proved too strong