Irish Derby Big Race Verdict: Back Burrows for revenge against Ballydoyle at the Curragh

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16:35 Curragh, Sunday 28 June

Benny C out to prove Epsom disaster all wrong

2 (8)

Benvenuto Cellini (Ire)

• J: Ryan Moore
• T: Aidan O'Brien, Ireland
• F: 2113-1W

• SBK 11/10
• EXC 2.66

Backers of Benvenuto Cellini in the Derby at Epsom will get a chance to have another run for their money on Sunday, after a run in a Classic that was scuppered by a stalls mishap. Not many people would have seen it, but the stewards were operating with microscopic detail that day, details and forensics that were sadly lacking for a meeting at Ffos Las just a week or two later.

And I am sure fans of the ancient chisiller will be delighted with me dubbing him Benny C.

Here we are again, Benvenuto Cellini as a favourite for a Classic, but do you want to be taking him at 6/42.50?

It's a price based on a super win at Chester in the Vase when slamming stablemate Proposition by over 4L on good to firm going and while the form now doesn't look so hot, conditions will be in his favour I imagine come Saturday and Ryan Moore gets a shot at redemption after Epsom.

Ground really could be a deciding factor, as while the start hampered his efforts, bottomless ground saw him really toiling away miles behind Christmas Day.

Derby winner needs to ride the punches

4 (6)

Christmas Day (Ire)

• J: R. P. Whelan
• T: Aidan O'Brien, Ireland
• F: 3511-131

• SBK 15/4
• EXC 5.8

Events at Epsom were completely unsatisfactory what with the start and the atrocious ground and while Christmas Day was a handsome winner, a staying Derby performance if ever there was one, I came away from the two days at the track with more than a rictus of sorrow.

Christmas Day didn't set the form book alight and was rated on BHA figures as one of the lowest rated Derby winners in recent years. He earned a figure of 118, and it was another Derby with a muddling pace and a winner that was able to slip the field into the straight.

The 121 figure is on par with lacklustre Derby winners Serpentine and Wings Of Eagles. Timeform were also unimpressed with an allotted 123 rating.

Those stamina-laden Epsom pedigrees all come in handy one day, but you have to worry about not only the substance of the form but also Christmas Day's ability to handle quicker ground.

Most of his racing has been on good to soft or softer, with only one outing on officially good in the Dante behind Item at York. Now, he was coming back at the end, but even the form of that race in hindsight looks poor.

It's easy to bash a Derby winner, and many like to have a pop and I am probably one, but with the fissiparous society hat on, the figures clearly indicate he is all stamina.

He's a 9/25.50 shot to complete the Derby double, Lambourn from last year was slow enough/good enough to achieve it.

Raaheeb the outlier and a key player

7 (3)

Raaheeb (Ire)

• J: Rossa Ryan
• T: Owen Burrows
• F: 1-1

• SBK 9/4
• EXC 3.5

Trainer Owen Burrows I hear is a most affable chap and a pleasure to talk to, and he was far too nice post-race from Royal Ascot after his Touleen was subject of a superb piece of Ballydoyle teamwork. If you haven't seen it, Wayne Lordan and True Love were sacrificed and sent in "the reducer" on Saffie Osborne and Touleen and the chance of Coronation glory was gone.

While no critic of what Osborne did that day, a big race jockey with the ability to bully rivals in the saddle is needed. Whether that is Rossa Ryan we will see, but Burrows has switched things up and Raaheeb is a most fascinating of contenders and Rossa rode him at Sandown anyway, so there isn't much of a story.

The Sandown performance oozed star quality and his family is basically Shadwell aristocracy as a relation to the star duo Baaeed and Hukum.

He was the only runner to break the 13.00 seconds mark at the final furlong and Timeform rated the going over 10f (his first attempt at the distance) as good.

His trainer believed he'll sharpen up and no qualms over further, and the Irish version looks a much better fit than Epsom, which might have come too soon for him mentally.

Raaheeb showed an ability to almost quicken twice at Sandown, and his winning time of 2m09.36 for only his second ever outing compared well to the winning time of the Esher Cup at 2m08.46.

His final furlong outlined previously at 12.74 off a closing pace of 104% suggests a nice turn of foot, and that wasn't too far behind Opera Ballo's 12.45 final time off a similar finishing speed on the same card, and Saddadd's impressive 12.36 at the final furlong in the Esher Cup.

At 11/43.75 - strongly backed in from 4/15.00 on Friday - you are paying to find out if he is good enough.

The performance tells us at Sandown he is, although the form of the race has subsequently been let down but mentally he will improve a lot I am sure and he is in excellent hands. He wasn't too shoddy either winning on his debut at Ascot.

Alan Dudman's Irish Derby Verdict

1) Raaheeb

2) James J Braddock

3) Benvenuto Cellini

As an unexposed, regally bred Shadwell three-year-old, the hopes will be high and at 4/15.00 he looks a far more appealing bet as you are basically backing him to handle the rise in class.

Christmas Day's Derby has taken too many knocks, and with totally different ground conditions here, he was one of the the first to scratch off.

James J Braddock holds entries later in the season over 1m6f and while plenty of his form comes with soft attached to the going description, his victory at Leopardstown in the Derby Trial in May was on good when beating Pierre Bonnard and he surprised me how well he picked up with a late surge as he didn't look fast enough into the turn.

He's a stayer, but Raaheeb I am hoping holds the class edge as we are still a bit in the dark as to how classy this Classic generation is.

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