Benvenuto Cellini (Ire)

Last year's Arc hero Daryz (Sea The Stars) will warm up for his repeat bid in Sunday's G2 Qatar Prix Foy at ParisLongchamp as France's premier track plays host to an array of luminaries. Francis Graffard issued a positive bulletin on The Aga Khan Studs homebred at the track on Thursday. "I couldn't be happier with the condition of the horse, he is in very good shape," he said of the four-year-old, who had enjoyed a spin at Deauville in recent days. "It was a nice, strong piece of work and Mickael...

Outsprinted by Calandagan (Gleneagles) in 2025, Juddmonte's Kalpana (Study Of Man) outstayed the French superstar this time to carry off a stellar renewal of Ascot's G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes. Living up to its billing, Saturday's edition was strongly-run as expected and it was the mare who proved the strongest of the best with an emphatic success in this GI Breeders' Cup Turf "Win and You're In". "She was impressive--she always improves run-to-run as the year goes on and she's a special mare," jockey Colin Keane said...

Nine contenders will head postward for Saturday's £2-million G1 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes after declarations for Britain's midsummer showpiece were confirmed Thursday morning Last year's first and second, Calandagan (Gleneagles) and Kalpana (Study Of Man), will be accompanied by 2024 hero Goliath (Adlerflug) in a renewal for the ages. Throw into the mix a Ballydoyle task force consisting of last year's G1 Derby hero Lambourn (Australia), last month's G1 Irish Derby winner Benvenuto Cellini (Frankel), the triple G1 Oaks-winning Arc runner-up Minnie Hauk (Frankel) and G1 Futurity...

It could be argued that The Curragh staged the "real" Derby on Sunday, with the Blue Riband "non-runner" Benvenuto Cellini (Frankel) showing what he could have done had Epsom not turned into a quagmire. Staged on safe, fast summer ground, the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby went the way of Aidan O'Brien as had 17 previous renewals since he took over at Ballydoyle, with a remarkable ninth one-two-three in the Classic for good measure. "He's got a lot of quality and Epsom was just a mess," Ryan Moore said. "It...

Epsom's G1 Derby hero Christmas Day (Camelot) will face seven rivals in Sunday's G1 Irish Derby at the Curragh after declarations were confirmed Thursday morning. The Aidan O'Brien trainee will depart from stall six, with the last winner to have emerged from that draw being Hurricane Run (Montjeu) in 2005. He will be partnered once again by Ronan Whelan and accompanied by stablemates Benvenuto Cellini (Frankel), controversially announced as a non-runner at Epsom and the selection of Ryan Moore, Pierre Bonnard (Camelot) and Action (Frankel). They have drawn stalls eight,...

Saturday's G1 Betfred Derby had added drama as the 3-1 favourite Benvenuto Cellini (Frankel) was declared a non-runner after finishing 10th. Video evidence reviewed after the start revealed that the Aidan O'Brien-trained Chester Vase winner had his left hind leg on the stalls shelf as the gates opened, effectively putting him at a disadvantage as he began on three legs. After a stewards inquiry, it was deemed that he had been denied a fair start and he had his chance "materially affected at the start" of the Classic. Aidan O'Brien said, "That...

Declarations for Epsom's G1 Betfred Derby and G1 Betfred Oaks were confirmed Wednesday morning with 14 standing their ground for Saturday's Blue Riband and G1 Irish 1000 Guineas heroine Precise (Starspangledbanner) the only notable absentee from Friday's Oaks. Last month's G3 Chester Vase winner Benvenuto Cellini (Frankel) is joined by Aidan O'Brien stablemates Action (Frankel), Christmas Day (Camelot) and Pierre Bonnard (Camelot) as the trainer seeks to enhance his record haul of 11 in the Derby. Other leading contenders Ancient Egypt (Frankel), Bay Of Brilliance (New Bay), Maltese Cross (Sea...

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...

Aidan O'Brien had a stranglehold on Saturday's G1 William Hill Futurity Trophy and was able to wrap up the British trainer's title with a one-two-three in the Doncaster feature led home by Hawk Mountain (Wootton Bassett). Sent off the outsider of the trio at 18-5 under Ronan Whelan, the Beresford winner scrapped it out with Action (Frankel) as the 7-4 favourite Benvenuto Cellini (Frankel) floundered in the deep ground. At the line, he had half a length to spare over Lambourn's half-brother, with Benvenuto Cellini 2 3/4 lengths away. "He's a...

Aidan O'Brien will have some of his big guns in action at the weekend, with both Benvenuto Cellini (Frankel) and Hawk Mountain (Wootton Bassett) headlining the cast for Doncaster's G1 William Hill Futurity Trophy and Puerto Rico (Wootton Bassett) supplemented for Sunday's G1 Criterium International at Saint-Cloud. While the impressive G2 Champions Juvenile winner Benvenuto Cellini was initially thought the main hope for Doncaster, O'Brien has added spice by confirming the Beresford winner Hawk Mountain as well as Lambourn's half-brother Action (Frankel). Completing the six-strong line-up for the two-year-old Group...

Christophe Soumillon was forced into switching mounts, taking up piloting duties aboard Killarney maiden winner Benvenuto Cellini (Frankel) after TDN Rising Star Montreal (Sea The Stars) was scratched, in Saturday's G2 KPMG Champions Juvenile Stakes--formerly known as the Golden Fleece Stakes--and the rider continued on a winning roll as the son of Newspaperofrecord (Lope De Vega) stepped forward to claim a career high in the one-mile contest. His tally earned him a spot in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf at Del Mar at the beginning of November. "He's a...

Aidan O'Brien trainee Benvenuto Cellini (Frankel), a G1 Vincent O'Brien National Stakes entry and son of dual Grade I winner Newspaperofrecord, went into every notebook when encountering the TDN Rising Star display of Dorset (Wootton Bassett) at the Curragh last month and duly delivered a breakthrough success in Monday's Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden at Killarney. "He was very babyish at the Curragh, and again today where he jumped out and led, and Wayne [Lordan] said he was looking at the cars on the inside," said Ballydoyle's Chris Armstrong. "It...