Benvenuto Cellini seeking to cement Classic claims

The betting market for the William Hill Futurity Trophy at Doncaster finally appears to have settled down after a week of turmoil, with Benvenuto Cellini leading the way ahead of the final Group One of the British season.

Aidan O’Brien’s Frankel colt was initially installed as a long odds-on favourite on Monday before stablemate Hawk Mountain, the Beresford Stakes winner, collapsed in price and overtook him.

When both were declared there was little between them, but once Christophe Soumillon’s name appeared next to Benvenuto Cellini – who was a Group Two winner at the Irish Champions Festival and is at the head of the ante-post market on next year’s Derby – he found his way to favouritism once more. Ronan Whelan keeps the ride on Hawk Mountain.

O’Brien also runs Action, a half-brother to this year’s Derby winner Lambourn who will be ridden by Wayne Lordan.

“They all rode those horses the last day they ran so we kept it like that,” explained O’Brien – who has won this race a record 11 times – of his jockey arrangements.

“You don’t know how they’ll handle the (heavy) ground until they run on it, Benvenuto and Hawk Mountain have won on ground with a bit of cut before but when it’s like this you don’t know until you try.

“Benvenuto was very impressive last time, he stays a mile well already, he’s a Frankel so you’d be hoping he’s a Classic horse for next year.

“Hawk Mountain was impressive was impressive in the Beresford which is usually a good race, he’s looks a Classic horse as well I suppose.

“Action is Lambourn’s half-brother, he’s a big horse so he’d definitely improve from two to three you would imagine.”

John and Thady Gosden’s Oxagon is the only runner with Group One experience already having finished fifth in the Dewhurst to Gewan.

“He ran well at Doncaster in the Champagne Stakes, he beat the subsequent Dewhurst winner (Gewan) that day and the winner (Puerto Rico) went on and won the Jean-Luc Lagardere,” said Ted Voute, racing manager to owner Prince Faisal.

“The consensus after that was that he would be a 10-furlong horse next year. He’s by Frankel, he’s a nice scopey horse out of a Dubawi mare from Prince Faisal’s family of Invincible Spirit and Kodiac.

“The family do act on soft, but this could be extremes. Heavy ground is an unknown.”

Andrew Balding’s Item would have been a legitimate contender having won both his starts to date but was declared a non-runner on Friday due to the testing ground.

Adrian Keatley’s Rochfortbridge completes the field.