Epsom chiefs must have been wondering what they have done to offend the weather gods.
This year’s attempt to revive the Derby was a valiant one that was ultimately washed away.
It looked a miserable experience in 2025 and the driving wind and rain ensured a sad repeat yesterday.
Jockey Club chief executive Jim Mullen can take heart from the fact that 25,000 people were penciled in to attend the Hill at the centre of the track but a successful festival needs the weather to play ball and the majority steered clear.
The King and Queen made an appearance and once the national anthem concluded, they made a hasty retreat from the balcony for cover.
Through no fault of their own, it was just that kind of day at Epsom. A typically British summers day.
Christmas Day gallops clear to win the Derby at a wet and windy Epsom Racecourse
King Charles III was in attendance as the Derby meeting received royal approval
The 147th edition of the Derby was won by Christmas Day. It was a familiar theme of recent years. A strong, front-running Aidan O’Brien-trained three-year-old prevailing at Epsom.
He was handy under Ronan Whelan and never looked like getting caught up the middle of the home straight in soft conditions. He looks a similar type to last year’s winner Lambourn and surely the Irish Derby will be on the agenda now.
There were admirable runs in behind from runner-up Maltese Cross, James J Braddock ran very well in third despite playing up beforehand and Bay Of Brilliance ran on eye-catchingly for fourth in the manner of a possible St Leger horse.
Benvenuto Cellini was well-beaten favourite in tenth but that was only half the story. He was deemed a non-runner after catching his leg on the stalls as the gates open. Stewards claimed he was denied a fair start and new rules mean he’s a non-runner.
Cue carnage in the betting ring, with bookmakers voiding bets on the Derby favourite and paying out hefty Rule Fours on winning bets. Some forms waived the concessions such as Coral, Ladbrokes and William Hill. A chaotic end to a very messy day.
It’s a rule that will ultimately open a can of worms. A dodgy start, horses staying in the stalls, stuck in the gate or whipping round is part of the sport. Any grievance at the start could be used as an excuse for non-runners. Where would you ultimately draw the line?
As for the beaten favourite, the Derby became simply too attritional for him. The messy start put him on the backfoot but even with a clean getaway, victory would still have been extremely unlikely.
But there’s still every chance that Benvenuto Cellini can leave this behind and become a top-class horse back on better ground. He is a smashing colt to look at and time remains on his side to fulfil his potential.
So this was a Derby that could still work out well in the fulness of time. The problem Epsom now has is that the Derby has become rather unfashionable.
It’s history is steeped in moulding the top sires for the future but breeders are now looking for speedier types. The leading mile-and-a-quarter horses are more attractive than the mile-and-a-half ones.
Queen Camilla braved the weather to see the horses parade before the Derby
Trainer Aidan O’Brien with jockey Ronan Whelan after winning the 147th Derby
Bar City Of Troy and Auguste Rodin, the Derby roll of honour in the last decade or so has been relatively weak. With the winners who have made it as sires largely being resigned to creating National Hunt stock.
Another issue is the track. Epsom’s idiosyncrasies are often dubbed as ‘the ultimate test of a thoroughbred’ but it’s undulations, cambers and turns are becoming unfashionable and too demanding for what’s generally become a weaker breed of racehorse.
The French alternative in Chantilly seems to appeal more. Even O’Brien seems to send his better three-year-old prospects to France for the Classic programme over there. Constitution River and Diamond Necklace seem to be his best three-year-olds this year.
The former won the French Derby and the latter is hot favourite for the French Oaks. St Mark’s Basilica looks a leading stallion for the future and his Classic glory also came in France.
For all his undoubted genius, O’Brien has an iron grip on the middle-distance Classics. It almost feels folly to take him on in these races. Variety is the spice of life but a complete monopoly can be rather boring to watch and difficult to engage with.
O’Brien has won 12 Derbies and 11 Oaks. He’s the first trainer to win the Derby four times in a row and Coolmore pride themselves on dominating Classic races to give them the Stallions and mares for the future. O’Brien has won 50 British Classics. The numbers are staggering. They have an edge in pretty much every department.
Then there’s Epsom’s proximity to Royal Ascot, a five-day meeting that is undoubtedly the showpiece of British racing. Having the Derby consistently only 10-14 days before that week means trainers and owners ultimately must choose one or the other.
Most of the time, Berkshire is the preference over Surrey. Even more so that Ascot basically has their own Derby, albeit at Group Two level. Many trainers see it as a gentler introduction for their better three-year-olds. The course is more conventional, too.
There are all long-term challenges Epsom faces and that’s before considering the issues of promotion and any commercial success. The weather wiped that all out and only when the sunshine finally comes back can we ascertain whether the public are still in love with the Derby. Epsom chiefs have put in the right investment and given the Derby some much-needed TLC.
Time will tell if it will be enough to bring back the packed crowds of the glory days. The jury is sadly out.
Thundering On was an impressive winner of the Epsom Oaks on Friday
PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK…
There were still some great equine performances on Derby weekend and the racing surface was on the slower side than officially described throughout but class did come to the fore in the Betfred Oaks that was won in stylish fashion by THUNDERING ON on Friday.
Trained by Joseph O’Brien, Thundering On smoothly cut through the field from last to first to beat Legacy Link by three-and-three-quarter lengths. There was a long way back to the third and this strongly-run race was left to two classy fillies to battle it out.
One imagines both horses have a very bright future. They travelled like the best horses in the race and have bundles of class. The winner looks capable of holding her own at the very highest level over 10 and 12 furlongs.
SELECTIONS OF THE DAY…
It’s Gold Cup day at Perth this afternoon where STATUARIO (9-2, Ladbrokes) is a standing dish and looks capable of winning this prize (4.27) for the third successive season.
The 11-year-old won this off 4lbs lower last year and also won in 2024. He’s rather exposed but so are most of the field and his love for Perth can make all the difference again as he’s the only course winner in the field and has Mickey Bowen’s charge has won seven out of the ten times he’s run at Perth.
The yard are in excellent form, too. The trainer has a 24-per-cent strike-rate in the last fortnight and have a 33 per cent win-rate at Perth in the last five years. Champion jockey Sean Bowen takes the ride.
In the Silver Cup (Perth, 3.52), the Adrian Keatley-trained NEWTOWN RAMBLER (5-2, Coral) can back up his win over course and distance last month with another victory.
