Christmas Day came early for jockey Ronan Whelan as he won his first Betfred Derby at Epsom on Saturday afternoon.
A son of Coolmore stallion Camelot, Christmas Day (7/1) was a two-and-three-quarter length winner over the Tom Marquand-ridden Maltese Cross (12/1).
James J Braddock, the mount of Dylan Browne McMonagle, took third for trainer Joseph O’Brien, two-and-a-half lengths behind the William Haggas-handled runner-up.
The victory of Christmas Day, in the Coolmore colours, was a 12th win in the race for Aidan O’Brien, who becomes the first trainer to win the race four years in-a-row following the successes of Lambourn (2025), City Of Troy (2024) and Auguste Rodin (2023).
It is also a 50th British classic win for the County Wexford-born handler – his first coming with King Of Kings in the 1998 2000 Guineas at Newmarket.
🗣️"The stars aligned."
Ronan Whelan's Christmases have come early ,… pic.twitter.com/DgfFrwDhb3
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) June 6, 2026
The pre-race favourite Benvenuto Cellini, the mount of Ryan Moore, was declared a non-runner after a stewards’ inquiry post-race. The son of Frankel had one leg caught on a bar in the stalls as the race began. As a result, stewards deemed that he was denied a chance of winning and declared him a non-runner.
🗣️ "Things don't happen perfectly for every horse in the race."
Aidan O'Brien, now with 12 Derby wins beneath the bonnet after Christmas Day revelled in the Epsom rain, dissects a dramatic renewal of the premier Classic pic.twitter.com/aJLhUDp2fM
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) June 6, 2026
