Plenty of options for O'Brien in Futurity Armory is the star name among seven possible runners for Aidan O’Brien in the Galileo Irish EBF Futurity Stakes at the Curragh. The Ballydoyle maestro has saddled 12 previous winners of Friday’s seven-furlong Group Two — with Giant’s Causeway (1999), Hawk Wing (2001) and this year’s Epsom Derby hero Anthony Van Dyck among those on the roll of honour. Since finishing third behind the Ger Lyons-trained Justifier on his racecourse debut at Leopardstown in June, Armory has registered two hugely impressive victories — most recently coasting to a five-length verdict in the Group Three Tyros Stakes at Leopardstown. O’Brien could also call upon course-and-distance winner Iberia, Lope Y Fernandez, Mount Fuji, Royal County Down, Toronto and Year Of The Tiger. Lyons is set to run Justifier, who since beating Armory has doubled his tally in the Listed Caravaggio Stakes at Tipperary. Mick Halford has supplemented Roman Turbo, who proved his 25-1 debut success at the Curragh was no fluke when following up in the Group Three Anglesey Stakes at the same track last month. Jim Bolger’s recent Gowran scorer Geometrical, Jessica Harrington’s Jungle Cove and Rebel Tale from Andrew Slattery’s yard are the other hopefuls.
