As if Ballydyole’s potential Derby line-up was not strong enough, another leading player was unearthed at Chester. Constitution River won the Dee Stakes in splendid style.
The son of Wootton Bassett went off at 2/9, just as stablemate Benvenuto Celllini had in the Chester Vase on Wednesday. Such prohibitive odds were justified though as he cruised to a seven-length victory. Like Benvenuto Cellini, his main market rival had been ruled out, with Morshdi a non-runner due to the ongoing ground drama from earlier in the card.
Constitution River therefore had an easier quartet of rivals to sweep aside. However, he did so in sparkling fashion, earning quotes in single-figure odds for the Derby. He is now a general third favourite following this Dee Stakes demolition job, with the aforementioned Chester Vase hero atop the betting. Pierre Bonnard, ante-post favourite for the Derby at the start of 2026, remains second in the market.
O’Brien and Moore have now won the last five runnings of this race. They have also claimed eight of the last nine in all in a frightening display of domination.
“He gave me a very good feel” – Moore
With such a staggering wealth of riches at his disposal, Moore now faces a tough choice. His Derby mount could be one of four O’Brien-trained stablemates. His quotes afterwards suggest Constitution River will be in the reckoning during his decision.
“He’s a gorgeous horse,” Moore said to the Racing Post. “He had very good form as a two-year-old.; he had a slight setback, so he missed the end of the year, and he’ll improve for the race.
“He did everything right today, he gave me a very good feel and he’s an exciting horse.”
Unlike the Chester Vase, which is contested over almost the exact Derby trip, the Dee Stakes is over a furlong-and-a-half shorter than the Epsom Classic. However, Moore believes 1m4f will be well within range for the Thursday winner.
“I’d say he’d have no problem going up in trip. He has plenty of options open to him.”
Ballydoyle’s representative at Chester on Thursday was Paul Smith. He also spoke glowingly of a rare purchase from the owners. Constitution River was not a home-bred as so many of O’Brien’s priciniples are.
“We were delighted with him. He was the standout in the ring, he’s a gorgeous horse. He did everything well. There was some freshness there but you couldn’t be happier,” he said.
“He did it well. He ticks a lot of boxes and we’re excited.”