Aidan O’Brien (left) and Ryan Moore (photo from 2023)
With the G1 English 2000 Guineas—the equivalent of Japan’s Satsuki Sho—now concluded in Britain, attention has shifted to the upcoming G1 Epsom Derby on June 6 over 2,410 meters of turf at Epsom.
Bowe Echo, the colt who won the 2000 Guineas fresh off a layoff, has decided to bypass the Derby. Instead, he will target the G1 St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot on June 16 over 1,600 meters, seeking the title of top miler.
The Derby trail is now led by the horses of Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien, who is chasing an unprecedented fourth consecutive victory in the race.
Three weeks out from the Derby, the ante-post favorite is Benvenuto Cellini (colt, 3, by Frankel), an O’Brien trainee who dominated the G3 Chester Vase on May 6 over 2,500 meters. The second favorite is Constitution River (colt, 3, by Upton Bassett), who crushed a listed race at Dee Stakes by seven lengths on May 7. On May 14, Christmas Day (colt, 3, by Camelot), who has been on a stakes-winning streak across the new year, will start as the top pick in the G2 Dante Stakes over 2,100 meters at York, vying for the role of O’Brien’s “third horse.”
Other potential O’Brien runners include Pierre Bonard (colt, 3, by Camelot), winner of the French juvenile G1 Critérium de Saint-Cloud over 2,000 meters, though he finished second by a narrow margin in his last outing. There is also speculation that Constitution River could switch to the G1 French Derby on May 31 over 2,100 meters at Chantilly, meaning Ryan Moore might choose that mount.
Last year, Moore chose Delacroix (who finished ninth) as the stable’s leading hope, but the result was disappointing. This time, his selection of a mount is expected to be even more critical.
