Peter Brant will be at Epsom on Saturday to see ante-post favorurite Benvenuto Cellini carry his colours in the Betfred Derby.
The son of Frankel, out of the owner’s brilliant mare Newspaperofrecord, won the Chester Vase in his trial and leads a strong Ballydoyle raid on the Epsom Classic.
The American owns the colt in partnership with Sue Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith and Georg von Opel and admits it would be a very special moment to see his silks flash past the post on front.
“For me, as an American to win that race with a horse that I bred would be a great feat and something I'd be very proud of,” he told Monday’s Nick Luck Daily Podcast.
“I think it would be certainly in the top two or three races I've ever won in my life. That's because it hasn't been done that often and it’s the real European three-year-old Classic of all time.”
Brant was also quick to pay tribute to Benvenuto Cellini’s trainer Aidan O’Brien, who is a seeking a record-extending 12th Betfred Derby success on Saturday.
He said: “From my standpoint, just as a horseman and from being around horses for many years, I am always overwhelmed by the attention to detail, the understanding of the animal and the way that Aidan works. His work ethic is second to nobody else I've ever seen.
“I've had the fortune to be around some great trainers. It's his life and he's dedicated to his life. He is involved in all aspects of it and people that work for him respect him because he doesn't ask them to do anything he wouldn't do.
“I think it just resonates right down to putting the saddle on. He just is there all the time and he is somebody that everybody should really look up to.
“In terms of spending some time with Aidan, some of the best moments I've had are just to be like in his office and spend a few hours with him and just listen to him. There is so much to learn. He is very impressive and I am very lucky to have him train some of my horses.”
Assessing Benvenuto Cellini’s chances of Classic glory at the weekend, he added: “I can only go by what I hear from Aidan. Certainly, having bred the horse and having been in the same barn as the dam, Newspaperofrecord, who raced for Seth Klarman and was a champion and great Lope De Vega grass filly, I am excited.
“This is the dam’s second foal, and the first foal (Giselle) was a Stakes winner. She won the Lingfield Oaks Trial.
“I think that the horse is bred in a very special way, being by Frankel. The mare was not a mile and a half horse, but Aidan seems to think he is a horse that's going to specialise in a mile and a quarter or a mile and a half. And I've seen him run it a mile and he's very impressive at a mile.
“I am encouraged. It's always difficult because the race is a very demanding race and it's a demanding racetrack.
”I have walked the racetrack with Aidan when I had a horse called Stone Age and it took the starch out of me just walking around it! So, I can appreciate the different elevations, the balance that you need to perform well on that day. It's always a challenge. It's not like going to any racetrack."
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