Aidan O’Brien expects Ryan Moore to stay loyal to Benvenuto Cellini for Sunday’s Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby at the Curragh, with Ballydoyle preparing a powerful four-runner challenge for the Classic.
The fresh riding signal matters because Benvenuto Cellini is set to reappear after the Epsom Derby controversy, when he was declared a non-runner following a stalls incident despite completing the race.
O’Brien’s latest comments point towards Moore keeping faith with the colt as Christmas Day, Constitution River and Hawk Mountain also remain central to Ballydoyle’s Curragh hand.
Ballydoyle Shape Strong Curragh Team with Benvenuto Cellini and Christmas Day
O’Brien told Racing Post that Moore has “always been a big fan” of Benvenuto Cellini, a line that sharpens the jockey-booking picture before final declarations and gives the favourite’s camp a clear public steer.
Christmas Day brings Epsom Derby-winning form back to Ireland, but the Curragh rematch is now framed around whether Benvenuto Cellini can show the ability that was never properly tested at Epsom. Constitution River and Hawk Mountain give O’Brien further depth, leaving rival camps needing to beat not one Ballydoyle angle but a full Classic squad.
For punters, Moore’s likely choice is the key tell.
For the race, it keeps the Irish Derby centred on an unresolved Epsom question: whether Benvenuto Cellini is still the colt Ballydoyle believe can turn the form around on a fair stage.
