Benvenuto Cellini's Chester Vase victory has drawn the predictable chorus of dismissal — weak form, soft opposition, no chance at Epsom. But the clock tells a different story.

His winning time of 2:35.22 ranks as the fifth fastest in the race's history since 1960, a mark that sits comfortably among genuine Derby contenders. Fight Your Corner, who clocked 2:33.70 some 24 years ago, holds the record. Golden Sword's 2:33.86 from 2009 comes next, followed by Old Vic's 2:34.21 in 1989 and Mr Combustible's 2:34.30 in 2001. Benvenuto Cellini's effort slots in just behind them.

Of those four horses ahead of him on the all-time list, one went on to win the French and Irish Derby — Old Vic. Interestingly last year's Derby winner at Epsom won this race on the lead up, Lambourn. The correlation between elite Chester Vase times and Derby success is not absolute, but it is there.

That context matters. The Chester Vase has long served as a Derby trial, and while quality of opposition varies year to year, the sectional demands of the Roodee remain constant. A horse capable of posting the race's fifth fastest time in over six decades is not beating trees — he is running fast on a track that exposes weaknesses ruthlessly.

The form may still need proving at Epsom, but the time suggests there is more substance here than the sceptics care to admit. Whether Benvenuto Cellini can translate that into Derby glory remains the question, but writing him off based on perception alone ignores what the stopwatch already confirmed.