Benvenuto Cellini delivered a commanding performance to lead an Aidan O’Brien-trained sweep of the top three places in the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby at the Curragh on Sunday. The chestnut colt, sired by Frankel, completed the one-and-a-half-mile race with a length-and-three-quarter victory over stablemate Christmas Day, the winner of the Epsom Derby three weeks earlier, while Pierre Bonnard finished third.

Benvenuto Cellini had been the 3-1 favorite for the Epsom Derby on June 6 after a strong win in the Group Two Chester Vase in May. However, in that race, he was controversially declared a non-runner due to camera footage suggesting his near-hind hoof was on the running board of his stall as the starting gates opened. At Epsom, he trailed in 10th place behind Christmas Day before being withdrawn by the stewards. Despite this setback, jockey Ryan Moore elected to maintain his partnership with the colt for the Irish Derby, a decision that proved decisive.

O’Brien acknowledged the risk involved in continuing to race Benvenuto Cellini against a strong stablemate. “I wasn’t sure Ryan had made the right call, but he never flinched,” the trainer said, highlighting that Christmas Day had been in excellent form ahead of the Curragh race. Ryan Moore commented on the colt's progress, saying, “Epsom was a mess – he had no hope. He continues to learn and he travelled into the race beautifully.”

Following his Irish Derby success, Benvenuto Cellini’s odds for the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot on July 25 shortened significantly from 10-1 to 5-1. O’Brien indicated the possibility of targeting this prestigious mid-summer event but left open the option of giving the horse a break and preparing him for the Irish Champion Stakes later in the season if needed.

In a related note, legendary jockey Frankie Dettori, who retired from professional race-riding in Brazil earlier this year, is set to make a brief return for the Betfred Leger Legends race at Doncaster in September, further adding to the excitement surrounding the British flat racing season.