Sunday Times
7th June 2026
You would think the weather would wreck things but it only confirmed that the Derby never loses its ability to enthral. Christmas Day’s 7-1 success inthis 2026 running managed to produce three things never managed in its 247 year history: a finish with runners spread right across the track, a 12th victory for the training phenomenon that is Aidan O’Bren, and an extraordinary decision to declare the slow starting favourite Benvenuto Cellini a non-runner.
The white faced Benvenuto Cellini was the most popular of the four Aidan O’Brien contingent, starting at 3-1 just ahead of Pierre Bonnard at 7-2 with both Action and Christmas Day out at 16s. When the gates opened Action and Christmas Day hustled up to the front and set off to try and control the race as predicted. Pierre. Bonnard started well and settled into midfield while Benvenuto Cellin appeared to jump out a bit awkwardly to lose a couple of lengths and force Ryan Moore to settle him at the back of the field.
It had seemed nothing more than a bit of a slow start and as the race developed with the leading O’Brien pair setting the tempo, Pierre Bonnard poised a few lengths off them, and Benvenuto Cellini still at the back of the pack the situation seemed no more than that master jockey Ryan Moore was taking the sensible option of staying where he was and banking that the attrition of the gallop and the rain-sodden surface would allow his horse’s proven stamina to power through in the straight.
Uppermost in our minds at this stage was whether, for the first time in history, the Derby might be won by a horse tacking right up and across to the stands rail as has happened several times, including in yesterday’s Oaks, and only an hour earlier yesterday when Bay City Roller had caused a shock upset in the Coronation Cup.
Into the straight the Derby field came, Action downed tools and Ronan Whelan drove Christmas Day clear up the centre, Item briefly threatened and then Maltese Cross and Bay Of Brilliance battled hard to close but could not get withing two lengths of the leader. Maltese Cross ran a magnificent second for trainer William Haggas and his enthusiastic film producer owner George Waud and James J Braddock ran on to oust Bay Of Brilliance for third to excuse an excess of randiness in the paddock.
Benvenuto Cellini’s white face had made him easy to spot. Once in the straight Ryan Moore got a run out of him and briefly got amongst the chasing pack before fading right away to finish 10th of the 13 runners. Connections had freely admitted beforehand that the favourite’s beautiful flowing stride might be compromised by the conditions and so few of us were in any way surprised by the failure of another Derby favourite.
The only thoughts were to marvel at the astonishing dominance of Aidan O’Brien and the Coolmore machine and how, with every horse bred, reared and trained with the Derby in mind, it is foolish to make too strong assumptions as to how they will finish. Only two of Aidan’s six recent victories had been won by Ryan Moore, so what’s different about the stable jockey choosing wrong again?
Then the “stewards enquiry” klaxon sounded. What could this be? Something about Benvenuto’s slow start. Not just something. It was apparently claimed that he could have been so badly disadvantaged to be in danger of being declared a non-runner which would mean that 25% would be deducted from all winning bets. Tough if you had Christmas Day at 16-1 or longer.
This ruling seemed bizarre until we saw shots of BC’s left hind leg stuck up on the ledge of the stalls. It was the wonders of overhead television, but the horse still only lost two or three lengths at the start of his 12 furlong journey.
But no, the BHA Head of Stewarding Shaun Parker was wheeled out to explain that because the horse was “standing on three legs when the stalls opened, we considered that in terms of our rules he had been denied a fair start.” With great respect to Mr Parker, I think that if that is your interpretation of the rule, the rule is an ass. So Benvenuto Cellini was only standing on three legs when the stalls opened and he missed a few lengths, what about the horses who rear up every day and miss the break? They are only standing on two.
Anyway the rule H6 was brought in after the sprinter Harry Angel was badly left at the start of the Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot in 2018. That was completely different. It over 6 furlongs not yesterday’s 12 and the fault was so bad that commentator Simon Holt immediately called “Harry Angel has surely lost all chance.” Simon Holt is a supreme professional and made no such call about Benvenuto Cellini in his commentary yesterday.
If that’s an irritating new note in the Derby story, the rest of it was as happy as it was predictable. Aidan and Ronan Whelan coming into the press conference and the trainer praising his jockey and thanking everyone at Ballydoyle bar the stable cat. This makes it 50 Classics but he still wants to give praise not receive it. “He’s an uncomplicated, unassuming horse” he said of his 12th Derby winner. He would like to say the same about himself – a man with the simple uncomplicated genius of being the greatest figure the Derby will ever see.