Derby favourite Benvenuto Cellini steps up in trip as he bids to strengthen position as Ballydoyle's number one for Epsom

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Betfred Derby favourite Benvenuto Cellini makes his first start of the campaign when he steps up to a mile and a half for the first time in Wednesday's Chester Vase.

The son of Frankel was twice a winner over a mile last season, most notably when landing the Group 2 KPMG Champions Juvenile Stakes at the Curragh, where he shot clear of his three rivals to win by five lengths. The 2022 winner, Auguste Rodin, was the last Ballydoyle-trained representative to win that Curragh contest as a juvenile before going on to Epsom success the following year.

With that first Group victory under his belt, Benvenuto Cellini arrived at the Futurity Stakes as the 7-4 favourite, but unlike Auguste Rodin, he was comfortably seen off into third by stablemates Hawk Mountain and Action, with O'Brien suggesting the heavy ground was an issue.

The trainer said: “Benvenuto Cellini is in good form and we always thought he'd be okay stepping up in trip. This is a mile and a half, so it'll be interesting, but we're happy with everything he's doing. We were thinking of going to Epsom [for the Blue Riband Trial], but when that was delayed we decided to come here instead.”

On his other runner, Proposition, the trainer added: “He won at Galway and looks as though he'll stay well, but we're going to find out plenty as well.”

What did Benvenuto Cellini achieve at two?

By Keith Melrose, betting editor

Benvenuto Cellini is the chosen one from Ballydoyle in the Derby the same way Gstaad filled that role in the 2,000 Guineas. The latter inherited his position from Albert Einstein as soon as that horse was ruled out of contention. Similarly, Pierre Bonnard was the Derby favourite over the winter, but a blowout in the Ballysax Stakes sent him on the drift. Benvenuto Cellini's odds being cut was just the equal and opposite reaction.

There was a time when Aidan O'Brien used Chester as a cramming session for Epsom. Going back to when his erstwhile stable jockey Kieren Fallon said "horses learn so much" from whizzing around the famously tight Roodee circuit, O'Brien has sent some notable once-raced horses to the Chester Vase. 

That trend has been absent pretty much since the Covid-19 pandemic. Of O'Brien's seven runners in the race since 2021, three had four prior runs, three had three and one had two. Of the seven, two won, and they in turn finished fifth and first in the Derby.

Looking at those two winners, Changingoftheguard (wore cheekpieces at Epsom) and Lambourn, you infer that O'Brien still uses Chester for education. Now it is less about pure experience, more about sharpening up horses who need it. The only surprise, taking that to its conclusion, is that Benvenuto Cellini is thought to be in need of livening up.

He was good enough to win at Group 2 level over a mile last year and also went off favourite for the Futurity Trophy. He did not meet expectations that day, although still advanced his form, and given his dam was a top turf performer in North America you fancy that heavy ground at Doncaster was not in his favour.

The Chester Vase is about development more than experience. Most of the O'Brien winners who have gone on to achieve the most – Ruler Of The World, US Army Ranger, Lambourn – were below-average winners if you looked only at their performance on the day. It is interesting that Benvenuto Cellini is thought to need the lesson Chester provides, but anything he shows today needs to be seen as a means to an end at Epsom in 31 days' time.

Del Maro (left): expectation that Chester will suit Godolphin coltCredit: Edward Whitaker

What they say

Charlie Appleby, trainer of Del Maro
We're looking forward to stepping Del Maro up in trip and feel the track at Chester might suit. We need to step forward if we're to trouble Benvenuto Cellini, but he goes there fit and well and this distance should hopefully see some improvement.

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