By Tom Frary
Already Derby favourite prior to Wednesday's G3 Boodles Chester Vase, Ballydoyle's Benvenuto Cellini (Frankel) ensured that it will take something special over the next few days to deny him that position on the first Saturday in June.
Making it a dozen renewals for Aidan O'Brien in the extended 12-furlong trial, the 2-9 favourite had several lengths to make up on the aggressively-ridden stablemate Proposition (Frankel) but was able to subdue him in the short straight and register a 4 1/4-length success in a very fast 2:35.22. Mr Colonel completed the Frankel one-two-three, 1 3/4 lengths away in third.
“It was nice to get him over a mile and a half and get the freshness out of him,” Ryan Moore said of the son of Newspaperofrecord (Lope De Vega) who took the G2 Champions Juvenile Stakes and was third in the Futurity Trophy on testing ground last term. “He's a high-class horse and he carried a penalty. We're trying to learn about these horses still and the other horse [Mr Colonel] took me back which wasn't ideal, but he showed real good pace to get there. He got tired inside the last half furlong and will come on for that.”
Benvenuto Cellini had already shown a glimpse of star quality when recording a sensational final-furlong split of 11.96 on Leopardstown's Irish Champions Day card and was back with another scintillating time performance here. Beating 12 seconds for each of the last four furlongs, the chestnut closed out with a rapid 11.72 surging to the line, all the time exhibiting the perfect striding signature for Epsom.
Were it not for the fact that the yard also has Pierre Bonnard and Christmas Day, the Derby market would already be looking more one-sided than it does after this but both those stablemates will have to pull out the stops to jump above him in Ryan Moore's pecking order. Coolmore representative Kevin Buckley said, “He handled the ground, handled the track and settled nicely for Ryan and showed all the attributes for what's needed at Epsom Downs in June.”
“He's going to be very versatile in terms of ground, but he wouldn't want to encounter heavy ground again because he has that nice turn of foot and a nice, easy moving, low action,” he added. “I'd imagine the owners will want to go to the Derby now and he's an exciting horse for the future.”
Brilliant from Benvenuto Cellini in the Boodles Chester Vase! 👏 @ChesterRaces pic.twitter.com/bHyYmraVQh
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) May 6, 2026
Pedigree Notes
Benvenuto Cellini is the second foal out of the aforementioned Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf and Just a Game heroine Newspaperofrecord, with Frankel's Giselle having won the Listed Lingfield Oaks Trial and finished third in the G3 Staffordstown Stud Stakes for this stable. One of two Stakes performers out of the G3 Sceptre Stakes scorer and Cheveley Park Stakes runner-up Sunday Times (Holy Roman Emperor) alongside the Listed-winning and Group-placed sprinter Classical Times (Lawman), she hails from the family of the Irish Derby hero Latrobe (Camelot) and his classy full-sister Pink Dogwood who was second in the Oaks and third in the Irish Oaks and Pretty Polly.
Newspaperofrecord's two-year-old full-sister to Benvenuto Cellini is named Sweetly, while her 2025 colt is by Justify who she visited again this year.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
