Christmas Day Pulled Off an Upset in the Epsom Derby and Aidan O'Brien Won It for the 12th Time
- Turf Diario
- Jun 6
- 3 min read
In the wake of the failure of Benvenuto Cellini, the favorite, the son of Camelot stood tall for the trainer and for Coolmore at Epsom Downs
The Epsom Derby (G1) is usually a test for champions. The 2026 edition, moreover, was a race for survivors. Under a persistent rain, with a heavy track and conditions more typical of December than the start of the European summer, Christmas Day found the ideal setting to display all his stamina and capture a resounding victory in the most prestigious race of British turf.
Trained by Aidan O'Brien and ridden by Ronan Whelan, the son of Camelot confirmed everything he had hinted at in the preceding days, when every downpour that fell over Epsom saw his odds shorten. Ultimately, he responded on the track with a performance as solid as it was authoritative.
Positioned from the break in a comfortable second place behind his stablemate Action (Frankel), Christmas Day always traveled within his rhythm. When the field entered the homestretch and the questions were asked, he was one of the few who found a definitive response over the soft ground.
Taking the lead early in the stretch, the Ballydoyle representative drew away with authority to cross the wire with a 2 3/4-length advantage over Maltese Cross (Sea The Stars), while James J Braddock (Zarak) completed the trifecta another 2 1/2 lengths further back.
The great disappointment was the favorite Benvenuto Cellini (Frankel), who never could get into the race. Later, the stewards determined that the colt had been compromised at the start due to having one of his hind legs poorly positioned inside the gate, which is why he was officially declared a non-runner.
For O'Brien, the triumph carried a doubly special meaning. Not only did it represent his 12th victory in the Derby, extending his historic record even further, but it also constituted the 50th British Classic of his extraordinary training career.
Furthermore, the success allowed Camelot, winner of the Derby in 2012 and already one of the most influential stallions in Europe, to add for the first time a winner in the race that crowned him on the tracks.
"He is a horse that has done nothing but improve with time. He is very genuine, has enormous stamina, and handles this type of ground perfectly," O'Brien commented. "Ronan gave him a flawless ride. He is a very tough and noble individual, exactly what one expects from a son of Camelot."
Whelan, for his part, experienced an unforgettable afternoon. Considered the fourth jockey for the powerful Ballydoyle armada, he ended up writing the most important story of his career.
"It was something surreal. Everything turned out very simple. Aidan asked me to keep things simple and the horse did the rest," he said, still in disbelief. "I knew I had Action up front setting the pace and that allowed me to travel comfortably. When I called on him, he responded immediately. Every time I asked for a bit more, he kept going. Winning the Derby is something one dreams of for a lifetime."
While several of the highly fancied contenders succumbed to the demands of the heavy ground, Christmas Day found there his best ally to seal a victory of tremendous authority.
Twenty-five years after Galileo (Sadler's Wells) handed O'Brien his first Derby, another son of a Ballydoyle champion returned to write a golden page. This time it was Christmas Day, who under the Epsom rain transformed into the new king of the European three-year-olds.
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