Three weeks after the Epsom chaos, Benvenuto Cellini finally got his chance at the Curragh. He took it without a hint of doubt. The Frankel colt landed the Benvenuto Cellini Irish Derby in brilliant style, beating stablemates Christmas Day and Pierre Bonnard to hand Aidan O’Brien a record 18th win in the race.
Sent off at 7-4, the performance was as convincing as the market had expected. At the Curragh, on ground he relished, there were no complications. Benvenuto Cellini looked every bit the horse Ballydoyle had always believed him to be.
The Epsom Drama That Set This Up
Back at Epsom three weeks ago, Benvenuto Cellini was the 3-1 favourite for the Derby. When the stalls opened, he had a hind leg trapped on the running board inside the gate. He trailed home tenth. The stewards then declared him a non-runner.
The British Horseracing Authority backed the decision, citing rules protecting punters when a horse is denied a fair start. Many in the sport disagreed. Either way, Benvenuto Cellini had a point to prove at the Curragh, and Sunday was the day to prove it.
Background on the biggest races in the British and Irish calendar is available in our UK horse racing guide.
Ryan Moore’s Loyalty Paid Off on Benvenuto Cellini Irish Derby Day
Moore could have switched to Christmas Day, who had actually won at Epsom. Sticking with the favourite was the bolder call. He spoke to Aidan O’Brien at the airport on Friday morning, and they decided to back Benvenuto Cellini.
“We always felt all three of them could win,” Moore said after the race. “On a different day, any of them could have won.”
His reading of the race proved correct. Moore tracked the pace rather than settling mid-field, knowing the Curragh’s brisk wind made it tricky for hold-up horses. When the moment came, Benvenuto Cellini had the pace to deliver.
Benvenuto Cellini Irish Derby: How the Race Developed
Action, another Ballydoyle runner, was sent forward under Declan McDonogh from the start. Ronan Whelan on Christmas Day tracked him closely, looking to repeat the front-running approach that had worked so well at Epsom.
Whelan pulled Christmas Day off the rail turning into the straight. That was the opening Moore needed. Benvenuto Cellini burst through on the inside, moved to the lead and kept finding more.
He pulled clear by a length and a quarter with minimal fuss. Christmas Day held on for second, a neck ahead of Pierre Bonnard, who arguably deserved closer to the winner after being briefly short of room near the finish. Six lengths separated Pierre Bonnard and Raaheeb back in fourth.
Sky Sports Racing covered the full card at the Curragh, and their race report captures how well Benvenuto Cellini travelled through the race.
O’Brien Reaches 18 Wins in the Benvenuto Cellini Irish Derby Race
Eighteen Irish Derby wins. Since Desert King in 1997, O’Brien has treated this race as something close to a personal fixture. Names like Galileo, High Chaparral, Camelot and Auguste Rodin have all won it for him. Benvenuto Cellini now joins that roll.
Remarkably, he’s won it in back-to-back years, with Lambourn having taken the race in 2025. Given the Ballydoyle operation and the depth of the Coolmore breeding programme, that run looks set to continue.
“He is slick, he’s fast and quality,” O’Brien said of his latest Irish Derby winner. “Ryan felt he’d rather go back to a mile and a quarter than go any further.”
That line is already shaping the rest of the season.
King George and Beyond: The Summer Targets
King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot on 25 July is the primary target. Bookmakers cut Benvenuto Cellini to 6-1 after the race, having opened at 8-1. O’Brien also mentioned the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in October, describing Benvenuto Cellini as “a ready-made American horse” for the Breeders’ Cup Turf or Classic.
A break first is possible if connections feel he needs one before the King George. Christmas Day, meanwhile, is likely to head for the St Leger. Pierre Bonnard could be aimed at France.
Ahead of Sunday’s race, the Racing Post ran a detailed preview of the declarations, and their eight-runner analysis proved accurate in predicting how things might unfold.
Filling the first three places with one stable’s runners tells you everything about where the Ballydoyle string is right now. O’Brien called this “an open, strong, properly-run race on beautiful ground.” He was right.
Declan McDonogh had pushed forward on Action, Christmas Day tracked him, and Moore was forced to commit early on Benvenuto Cellini. None of it was straightforward, which is exactly why it worked as a race to watch.
Summer is when British and Irish racing tends to separate the genuine Classic horses from the pretenders. The Curragh on Sunday was a fine example of that, and if you want wider context on how the flat season builds from spring trials to these late-June showpieces, our horse racing guide covers the full picture.
With the King George on the horizon, Benvenuto Cellini heads into the second half of the season as one of the most exciting middle-distance horses in Europe. Watch the declarations carefully when they come.
