Ryan Moore says quicker ground at the Curragh could make a significant difference to Benvenuto Cellini as Aidan O’Brien’s colt bids to revive his Classic season in Sunday’s Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby.
Moore is back aboard Benvenuto Cellini for the €1.25million Group One after the Chester Vase winner’s chaotic Epsom run, where he was later declared a non-runner under the BHA’s fair-start rule following stalls drama.
The Ballydoyle rider told Racing Post, via his World Pool role, that the colt’s two disappointing runs have both come on slower ground and that the return to a quicker surface should help him at the Curragh.
Moore Identifies Raaheeb As Main Ballydoyle Danger
O’Brien also runs Epsom Derby winner Christmas Day, Pierre Bonnard and Action, giving the trainer another powerful hand as he chases an 18th Irish Derby win. The wider Ballydoyle context is already stark: O’Brien has dominated the race for a generation, as shown in ReadHorseRacing’s guide to every Aidan O’Brien Irish Derby winner.
Moore still pointed to Owen Burrows’ unbeaten Raaheeb as the clearest threat from outside the yard. Raaheeb won the Sandown Classic Trial and has been trained specifically for the Curragh, making him the obvious British danger in an eight-runner field shaped by Epsom form, ground conditions and O’Brien’s depth.
