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The sporting American dream has been World Cup related this summer.
One of Spain or Argentina will lift the Jules Rimet Trophy tomorrow evening in New Jersey.
It’s not coming home and Scotland failed to get out of the group.
Summer hopes dashed for the home nations.
However, Halloween is where the real sporting American dream exists when Benvenuto Cellini can strut his stuff in the Breeders’ Cup Turf.
The mile and a half on what ought to be fast ground in Keeneland looks ideal for Aidan O’Brien’s dashing three-year-old chestnut.
O’Brien has won the Breeders’ Cup Turf seven times, the most of any trainer since the inception of this event in 1984. It’s a $5million race regularly dominated by Irish and British trainers, so the 4/1 (Sky Bet) about Benvenuto Cellini to add to that record looks good enough to me regardless of his effort in next weekend’s King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot.
Benvenuto Cellini (left) won the Irish Derby last month from stablemate Christmas Day
Trainer Aidan O’Brien has won the Breeders’ Cup Turf seven times and could make it eight
Jockey Ryan Moore is all smiles after Benvenuto Cellini did the business in the Irish Derby
Benvenuto Cellini was controversially deemed a non-runner in the Derby at Epsom when stewards said he was denied a fair start after getting a leg stuck in the stalls and missing the break badly.
While that clearly affected his chances, the soft ground was much more of a factor in seeing Benvenuto Cellini a well-beaten favourite that day. O’Brien always insisted the son of Frankel is a ‘beautiful mover’ and will be at his best on better ground. That seems a certainty in Kentucky.
He redeemed himself with a comfortable success in the Irish Derby and reversed the form with stablemate and Epsom winner Christmas Day.
The fact Benvenuto Cellini has been given the stiff King George assignment is confirmation of his lofty status in the Ballydoyle three-year-old colt pecking order.
The King George will be a red-hot race and the weight allowance for Benvenuto Cellini will be a help. He has his work cut out at Ascot next week, with classy Japanese horse Masquerade Ball and the brilliant defending champion Calandagan rightfully ahead of him in the market.
Unlucky Hardwicke Stakes third Goliath and Group One winner over course and distance Kalpana add real depth to this contest. It could be too much too soon for Benvenuto Cellini. A bit like it was for 2023 Derby and Irish Derby winner Auguste Rodin when he bombed out in the race.
But Auguste Rodin managed to bounce back. Guess which races he won later in the season for O’Brien? Yes, the Irish Champion Stakes and the Breeders’ Cup Turf.
The King George, Irish Champion and Champion Stakes are all ‘win and you’re in’ races for the Breeders’ Cup.
After the Irish Derby success, O’Brien said: ‘Benvenuto Cellini had a very ordinary run at Epsom and we knew all the things that went wrong – but you’re never really sure until you see it. It was a brave call from Ryan [Moore] to ride him as Christmas Day was working very solid going into this and won well at Epsom.
Calandagan (far right) looks hard to beat in his defence of next weekend’s King George
‘It was a great race and I hope everyone enjoyed it. I had no faith after he was beaten two furlongs at Epsom. I wasn’t sure Ryan had made the right call, but he never flinched. The form was always going to stand up and if there was any weakness in his armour he would have been found out.
‘He could go to the King George. If he needs a break, though, he’ll have one and then be trained for the Champion Stakes. He looks ready-made for the US so the Breeders’ Cup could be an option.’
It is the final comment where the eyebrows were raised. There is American blood in the pedigree of Benvenuto Cellini. His dam was top USA horse Newspaperofrecord and a trip Stateside looks far more likely than not. He has the action, temperament and all the conditions point to the Breeders’ Cup Turf to be the ideal assignment for him.
O’Brien has Constitution River in the mile-and-a-quarter division. Minnie Hauk looks to be pointed to the Yorkshire Oaks/Arc route. And Christmas Day seems to be a Derby winner held in the St Leger mould.
Ombudsman prefers life at 10 furlongs, while this race has never really been on the agenda for Calandagan. O’Brien has four of the top six in the ante-post market for this and opposition from Britain and Ireland could be thin on the ground. You’d need to go back to Bricks And Mortar’s win in 2019 for an American triumph in this race.
O’Brien fired blanks on Irish Oaks day but it’s not unusual for the yard to have a quiet few weeks in and around King George time. It’s a race he hasn’t won for a decade and O’Brien has just three winners from 41 runners in the last week.
If Benvenuto Cellini does fail to fire next weekend then don’t dismiss him for his American mission. He’d be likely to bounce back and at a bigger price for punters to boot. He’s one to keep the faith with no matter what.
Those looking for some each-way cover need not look far away from Irish Derby Day. On the same card, PURVIEW (16/1 bet365) was impressive in Group Three company at the Curragh. He waltzed away from a decent field and trainer Dermot Weld, who won this prize with Tarnawa in 2020, was quick to moot the Breeders’ Cup Turf as a possibility.
He’s an excellent target trainer and is very patient with his horses. Purview bolted up in Listed company over a mile and a half by six lengths at the Curragh on reappearance as a four-year-old.
He dropped back in trip on Irish Derby weekend to win by three quarters of a length in a Group Three but the winning margin masked his superiority in the race. He travels powerfully and does everything easily under jockey Colin Keane.
Weld said afterwards: ‘Colin and I won the Breeders’ Cup Turf with Tarnawa and the plan is to go back there again.’
Take the hint. He’s the each-way threat. And hopefully a Happy Halloween ends with treats and not tricks!
Johanna Walsh won the Irish Oaks in excellent fashion by four lengths
PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK… JOHANNA WALSH was an able deputy for trainer Joseph O’Brien in winning The Irish Oaks in grand style. Plenty failed to give their running in behind but the Ribblesdale Stakes second at Royal Ascot stepped up again and dictated the race to win in a fast time.
The trainer pulled out Oaks winner Thundering On because of the ground and the suspicion is her stablemate is more effective on quicker conditions.
They might be hard to split from now on it, with Thundering On maybe more of a Longchamp and Ascot at the end-of-the-season type, while Johanna Walsh might go globetrotting Stateside in search of faster conditions via the Yorkshire Oaks. It’s a nice problem for O’Brien to have.
SELECTIONS OF THE DAY… Day two of the Irish Oaks meeting where AUDIENCE (8-1, Paddy Power) looks a big price in the Minstrel Stakes (Curragh, 3.15).
The seven-year-old ran well when second on softer than ideal conditions in Leopardstown and will look to dictate matters on better ground in a similar contest. The David O’Meara-trained horse is inconsistent but is worth chancing at the prices to beat the home brigade.
AL RIFFA (11/10, William Hill) won the Curragh Cup (4.25) last year and Joseph O’Brien’s star stayer can regain his crown. The six-year-old ran with plenty of credit when fourth in the Ascot Gold Cup and is 9lb clear of his rivals down in grade.
He should account for Illinois and stablemate Tennessee Stud and odds against are more than fair.
