POOR Luis Enrique thought he had pulled off one of the finest sporting achievements his city had seen for some time when guiding Paris Saint-Germain to back-to-back Champions League titles last Saturday. Less than 24 hours later, some up-and-coming trainer by the name of Aidan O’Brien decided to go one step further in Paris.

An exceptional 1-2-3 from a trio of runners in the French Derby was a training achievement right out of the top drawer from the Ballydoyle supremo. In spite of six of the previous nine Prix du Jockey Club winners coming from stalls one, two or three, Ryan Moore made light work of a wide draw in stall 15 on Constitution River. In fairness, Hawk Mountain (drawn in 11 under Christophe Soumillon) and Montreal (stall eight, ridden by Wayne Lordan) each appeared to show their maximum for now in reaching the frame too.

If there was an Irish runner who didn’t get the bounce of the ball in-running, it was Donnacha O’Brien’s running-on fourth A Boy Named Susie - and his form directly ties in with some of the leading contenders in today’s Betfred Derby at Epsom.

One of his lesser runs last season came when fourth of four, beaten five and a half lengths, behind classic favourite Benvenuto Cellini in the Group 2 KPMG Champions Juvenile Stakes at the Irish Champions Festival. However, he appeared to run right up to scratch when second and a couple of lengths adrift of Pierre Bonnard in the Group 1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud on his final start of 2025. That was a fine showing.

Those two Ballydoyle colts have had massively contrasting starts to the season, and how their form stacks up when meeting for the first time in a race setting could go a long way to deciding which way Epsom’s top honours go this afternoon. O’Brien and the wider Coolmore team are seeking a fourth successive win in the race - something no trainer has ever achieved before. As we edge closer to post time, the sense is growing that they will again have the lion’s share of power in the historic middle-distance test.

From a favourite’s point of view, it’s tough to poke significant holes in Benvenuto Cellini. What he did in the Chester Vase, proving his stamina and acting well around that sharp track, is probably the standard-setting performance in terms of trials heading into this race.

Original number one

It wasn’t as though the Frankel colt was the standout Derby hope in Rosegreen from the beginning of the season, though. From the first Ballydoyle press morning of the season, O’Brien noted: “Pierre Bonnard is being trained for Epsom. I think he looks our number one for the Derby.”

Even after an excellent initiative from Coolmore to stage an open gallops morning at the Curragh during the spring, it was mentioned that Benvenuto Cellini was “a horse who could be the second string in the Epsom Derby”.

Yes, it was an inauspicious start to Pierre Bonnard’s season, when beaten six lengths by Christmas Day in the Ballysax, but his trainer was vocal that the faith shouldn’t be lost in him immediately afterwards. Physically, there were clear grounds for him to progress too.

“Things just went wrong and it was just a start off,” said the record 11-time Derby-winning trainer straight after.

“He had to have two runs. If we were being very cautious, we wouldn’t have run him and just given him a racecourse gallop, but you’re always better to run if you can. He’s going to leave that run well behind him.”

While not shooting the lights out, and slightly rolling to his left in the closing stages, it was a dramatic step forward from Pierre Bonnard when beaten a short-head in the Cashel Palace Hotel Derby Trial back at the same venue (the third Endorsement bolting up at Leopardstown on Thursday this week). The Racing Post Ratings team judged him to have improved 10lb from his seasonal return to 108, while Timeform took an even more favourably view of his effort at 110+ (versus 102 in the Ballysax).

It surely would have been a massive ask to expect Ryan Moore not to ride Benvenuto Cellini, given his winning prep and place in the market, but there is every chance we will see another level of improvement in Pierre Bonnard, considering how O’Brien tends to bring on his top Derby hopes.

Path of progression

The son of Derby winner Camelot was beaten on his comeback, but nobody would suggest it was any worse of a run than Epsom stars Auguste Rodin or City Of Troy posted on their three-year-old reappearances. When O’Brien circles the calendar for this date in June, more often than not we see peak performances, and Pierre Bonnard’s peak efforts at two were higher than his rivals’ best.

If the rain continues, that is not guaranteed to be a help to the favourite, who was turned over on admittedly very testing ground at Doncaster last season. In contrast, the Ballydoyle second-string is proven with an ease underfoot; Timeform called the ground soft when he won his sole Group 1 in France.

He’s bred to excel when stepping up to a mile and a half too. The likely improver’s half-sister, Crepe Suzette (by Saxon Warrior), showed her best when trying an extended mile and six furlongs last season, finishing third in the Group 2 Park Hill Fillies’ Stakes at Doncaster.

Ryan Moore had never ridden Pierre Bonnard until this spring and back aboard the colt now is Christophe Soumillon. The world-class Belgian rider told the press on Sunday at Chantilly that one of his greatest remaining ambitions as a rider is to partner the winner of a British classic. In the week that he turned 45, this surely looks one of his best chances yet aboard Pierre Bonnard.

Don’t be surprised if he is right in the heart of another Group 1 finish dominated by the Coolmore team. Even longshot Action, bound to be boosted by the first-time cheekpieces, could threaten to fill the frame for connections too.