Christmas Day won the 2026 Betfred Derby at Epsom Downs in dramatic circumstances on Saturday afternoon, claiming the Classic at 7/1 for trainer Aidan O’Brien and jockey Ronan Whelan. But the story of the day started before a horse had moved.
Benvenuto Cellini — the pre-race market leader, trained by Aidan O’Brien and booked for Ryan Moore, had his left hind leg trapped on the running board as the starting gates opened. He could not exit properly, was assessed on the course, and was declared a non-runner. Rule 4 deductions were applied to winning bets. The favourite was out of the race before it had begun.
Pierre Bonnard, who had been 7/2 after Benvenuto Cellini’s withdrawal, moved to the top of the market. He finished seventh.
Christmas Day was always travelling comfortably on the far side. He went clear three furlongs out, drifted right on the camber in the closing stages, but kept on powerfully up the final hill. The winning margin was 2.75 lengths in a time of 2 minutes 43.75 seconds — on officially soft ground after heavy overnight rain had turned the going slower than most had anticipated.
Maltese Cross (12/1, Tom Marquand, William Haggas) finished a clear second. James J Braddock (9/1) was third under Dylan Browne McMonagle — the same jockey who had won the previous day’s Oaks for Joseph P O’Brien on Thundering On. Bay of Brilliance (9/1, H Crouch, R M Beckett) was fourth.
Whelan, riding his first Derby, was direct about the performance: “Just so easy. He told me to keep it simple and the horse performed effortlessly.”
The going was the race’s defining variable. Heavy rain fell overnight from Friday into Saturday, leaving the surface soft and the winning time 2:43.75 significantly slower than a standard Derby on good ground. That played against runners with form on quick surfaces and into the hands of Christmas Day, who had always handled cut in the ground.
The context behind the result extends beyond Epsom. Aidan O’Brien has now trained 50 British Classic winners, a landmark no other trainer has reached. The weekend produced a remarkable 24-hour family chapter: Joseph P O’Brien (Aidan’s son) trained Oaks winner Thundering On on Friday; Aidan trained the Derby winner on Saturday. McMonagle, who rode Thundering On to Oaks victory, completed that connection by filling the frame on James J Braddock in the Derby.
For Christmas Day, the St Leger in September and a possible French Arc campaign are logical next steps for a horse now confirmed as one of the best in Europe.
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