Betfred Derby |
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| Group 1, Epsom Downs 15:30 £2,000,000 guaranteed 3yo only, 1m, 4f, 10y  |
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For all the global prizes that now populate the modern calendar, Aidan O’Brien’s compass still points unwaveringly toward Epsom.
The Betfred Derby remains the sport’s defining examination and, if Ballydoyle’s early signals are any guide, Pierre Bonnard currently sits at the centre of their Classic ambitions.
The Camelot colt has already followed a path that hints strongly at middle-distance promise. After finishing fourth on debut at Leopardstown, he progressed swiftly — winning his maiden at Dundalk before stepping up in class to take the Zetland Stakes at Newmarket and then the Group One Criterium de Saint-Cloud. It is the kind of upward trajectory that Ballydoyle has refined into an art form over the years.
"Christophe was raving about him when he won on him at Newmarket"
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) October 26, 2025
Aidan O'Brien reacts to Pierre Bonnard's performance in the Group One Criterium de Saint-Cloud... pic.twitter.com/ZlwPzyP9wy
Yet O’Brien’s reverence for the Derby goes far beyond the credentials of any single horse.
He said: “The Derby is still the race, it’s what the whole breed is based on. You can kid yourself about other races and some of them are great for the older horses but anyone that breeds a horse, that is where they are aimed.
“Some of them don’t do an awful lot after it because it is such a tough race. It’s the ultimate test, mental, physical, they have to be quick, they have to stay. It’s a brutal race, but that is the way it has to be, unforgiving. It’s the race the whole breed is based on. It’s just the way it is.”
Within that context, Pierre Bonnard currently appears Ballydoyle’s most straightforward Derby proposition.
O’Brien explained when hosting the media on Monday: “Pierre Bonnard is being trained for Epsom, we’re very happy with him. He might have the two Irish trials (Ballysax and Leopardstown Trial) before it.
“He’s very straightforward, he’s a big Camelot, he’s very relaxed and chilled. Christophe (Soumillon) was always super impressed by him, Ryan (Moore) rode him for the first time yesterday morning.
“I remember running him at Leopardstown first time and the next time going to Dundalk I was afraid, but Wayne (Lordan) said he’d handle the surface no bother and he loved it so that means he’ll handle fast ground.
“You’d imagine he’ll get a mile and a half well because he’s so relaxed. He’s big and he’s classy and he’s done very well. He’s a big, rangy horse.”
He is not the only Ballydoyle colt on the Derby trail, however. Hawk Mountain, who finished first in the Futurity Trophy at Doncaster, remains under consideration for Epsom but could also be diverted to France depending on how the squad shapes up in the weeks ahead.
“Hawk Mountain will be trained for Epsom or France,” said O’Brien.
“If some of the other horses go to Epsom he’d be possible to go to France as he’d be very comfortable at a mile and a quarter. He’ll run in a trial somewhere first. Listening to the lads he could be going to France and he could have a trial for it, but we’ll see what happens with the Epsom horses.
“Action is very well. He ran a very good race at Doncaster and will be trained for a Derby, I’d imagine he will be trained for Epsom. Obviously he could go to Chester or Leopardstown for a trial. At the moment we are thinking Pierre Bonard is doing the two Leopardstown trials, but obviously something will run with him. He looks an Epsom type.”
As is often the case at this stage of the season, Ballydoyle’s Derby picture extends well beyond the headline names. Several lightly raced colts remain under patient development, any of whom could yet emerge as Classic contenders.
O’Brien said: “Constitution River could be another French Derby type or he could be Epsom. He had a mishap after winning the Futurity (at the Curragh). We think he could be and Irish Guineas, French Derby type.
“Benvenuto Cellini, or Newspaperofrecord (dam) I call him. He’s an Epsom horse I’d say, he’s done very well. He’s a great mover and Epsom will probably suit him.
“We’re very happy with Montreal. We think he’ll get the Derby trip but you couldn’t be sure. We think he’s a legitimate Epsom horse.
“Causeway looks a nice horse, he looks like a horse who will stay. Montreal is one who took a big step forward from his first run to his second while Isaac Newton is a very dark horse.
“Port Ferdinand did well to win at Naas from a bad draw in bad ground, he’s going to stay. He’s out of a very good mare.
“Straight Up will probably be trained by a Derby trial or something like that. He was dropped out too far at Newmarket in the Autumn Stakes, he’s a lot better than that.”
Among the more intriguing names in the Ballydoyle ranks is the unraced George Stubbs, a colt whose reputation at home has not yet been matched by appearances on the racecourse.
O’Brien said: “We always thought the world of George Stubbs which is why we gave him the name. But every time we gave him one last piece of work before running he disappointed.
“He’s a mile-and-a-half horse. He’s called George Stubbs because everything about him is beautiful. He won’t get out to be a Derby horse, but he could end up at (Royal) Ascot. Maybe he was just a little weak.”
For now, though, Ballydoyle’s Derby narrative begins with Pierre Bonnard — a colt bred for the trip, proven at Group One level, and shaping like one of the more straightforward Classic prospects in a typically deep squad. Whether he ultimately proves the one who carries the yard’s hopes up the famous Epsom hill will be revealed in the coming trials, but the direction of travel is already clear.
The long list for the 2026 Betfred Derby contained the expected powerhouses, but one name leapt from the page with transatlantic intrigue. Bob Baffert, Hall of Fame architect of American Classic triumphs, has given Greenwich Village the option of testing his credentials on the camber of Epsom Downs in June.
Greenwich Village Gets Up Just In Time To Win Sunday’s Pasadena Stakes For 3-Year-Olds Going One Mile On Turf At Santa Anita pic.twitter.com/iURXCVDdjT
— Santa Anita Park (@santaanitapark) February 23, 2026
A son of Quality Road and a recent winner of the Pasadena Stakes at Santa Anita, Greenwich Village would become the first US-trained runner in the Derby since Michael Dickinson’s Wolf Prince in 1993. The prospect is as bold as it is fascinating. Tom Ryan, of joint-owners SF Racing, said: “We are incredibly grateful to The Jockey Club for extending an invitation to the Betfred Derby for Greenwich Village. It was a wonderful and unexpected surprise for all of us, and something we don’t take lightly. It’s a very intriguing opportunity, and we’ll be giving it serious thought as we map out his path from the winter into the spring.
“We’ve loved seeing how he’s progressed, stretching out from six and a half furlongs to a mile on the turf, and he keeps finding and finishing through adversity, which is what you want to see from a developing three-year-old.
“He’s a big, powerful colt — and he’s bred to keep moving forward as distances increase. The Derby distance is the great unknown.
“We will be guided by Bob Baffert when it comes to making a decision. When we originally purchased him, we had the Kentucky Derby in mind. It would be quite a pivot if he ended up in Epsom Downs.”
The international flavour may not end there. Japanese-trained Akkan and Choreo Sequence also feature among the 88 entries, while closer to home Aidan O’Brien once again marshals a formidable battalion. Fresh from a record-extending 11th Derby courtesy of Lambourn, the Ballydoyle maestro seeks a fourth consecutive success, with Pierre Bonnard currently heading the market at 6-1 — a familiar position for a yard that has made Epsom its summer stage.
Betfred Derby (Group 1)
£2,000,000 guaranteed, 3yo only, 1m 4f 10y, Class 1
87 remaining entries
Going:
(Form as of Mar 24)
