Benvenuto Cellini looks Champion material Aidan O’Brien and Christophe Soumillon completed a short-priced double at Leopardstown as Benvenuto Cellini took the Group 2 KPMG Champions Juvenile Stakes in impressive fashion. The Frankel colt, a maiden winner at Killarney on his previous start in July, made headway to challenge early in the straight as the four runners all came over to the stands’ side. The 1/2 favourite struck the front about a furlong and a half from home and got well on top inside the final furlong to beat the front-running Hardy Warrior by a very convincing five lengths. Nil Bua Gan Dua finished a further half a length back in third. The winner’s stablemate Montreal was an absentee on veterinary advice. O’Brien said, “He’s lovely, he’s coming lovely. He has a big open stride. “He won his maiden lovely and looks like he’s going to be a lovely middle-distance horse. “Dylan took him along out in the middle of the track and Christophe had the choice of coming to the right or left rail and it was easier to go to the right rail. “I couldn’t be happier. He was always going to be a Derby trial horse, Christophe said he feels like a French Derby horse. “He can go again this year to Doncaster or one of the French races and then start in the Derby trials next year, I’d imagine. “He’s a close compact horse but he’s a big horse. He’s a very good walker and a great galloper, he really opens up and levels out on the ground when you ask him to go. That’s usually a good sign.” Soumillon, who successfully teamed up with O’Brien earlier on the card aboard Diamond Necklace, said “I just followed the lead horse who wanted to go out. “Walking the track earlier we felt it was a bit better in the middle so I thought we would go there but my horse naturally hangs right so I just leave him there. “When I asked him to pick up, he changed gear really well. It looks like he’ll be even better over further. “The ground is just good to soft.” Paddy Power cut the winner into 8/1 favourite (from 20/1) for next year’s Derby. Additional reporting by Gary Carson
