Epsom Derby Day Best Bets

Always one of the finest months of the year, thanks to the Epsom Derby Festival and Royal Ascot, June 2026 promises to be truly spectacular. In addition to the racing, we have the small matter of a 104-game FIFA World Cup. For those who also enjoy poker, the WSOP is enjoying extensive coverage this year. When are we supposed to sleep with all this going on!

Before plotting a sleeping schedule for the month ahead/placing a bulk order for industrial-strength caffeine, we must turn our attention to the first item on the menu – picking the winner of what is, in the opinion of this writer, the greatest flat race of them all. The ultimate test, the stallion maker, the Epsom Derby.

My love affair with this race began with a dream back in 2001, which I took as a message from the gambling gods. That midnight image showed me that a horse with the number 4 saddlecloth carrying a rider in dark blue silks would leave his rivals floundering. As an excitable eighteen-year-old, I wasted no time and marched straight to the bookies upon waking, tenner clutched determinedly in hand. As it turned out, number 4 in the 2001 edition of the Derby went by the name of Galileo, and duly sauntered clear, before going on to become the greatest stallion of them all. In many ways, I have Galileo to thank/blame for all that has followed.

Returning to the present, I have sadly received no tips from the ether this year – nor in any year since 2001. As such, I will return to my default setting of form and pedigree analysis. Without further ado, here’s where my cash is going in the 2026 Epsom Derby in addition to my two top picks on the undercard.

16:00 Betfred Derby

Twenty-five years after Galileo’s wonderful performance, his trainer Aidan O’Brien remains the man to focus on in the Epsom Derby. Successful in 2023, 2024, and 2025, the Ballydoyle maestro will bid to become the first trainer in history to win four successive editions. Warming up with a 1-2-3 in the French Derby last weekend, he has every chance of doing just that.

Of O’Brien’s four entries, the Camelot colts Christmas Day and Pierre Bonnard are two of only three runners in the field sired by a Derby winner. Pierre Bonnard entered the winter as ante-post favourite and has come in for solid support despite two defeats this season, while Christmas Day makes some each-way appeal at a big price, having suggested a step up in trip may suit when third in the Dante Stakes.

Action and Benvenuto Cellini complete the O’Brien quartet. The former has run well in defeat of late and has the services of last year’s winning rider, Wayne Lordan, in the saddle. However, we agree with the market in rating Benvenuto Cellini as the one they all have to beat. Sired by the mighty Frankel, he rounded off his juvenile campaign with defeat in the Futurity Trophy but looked like a completely different specimen on his return in the Chester Vase, when towering over stablemate Proposition. We loved the way he quickened clear in the straight that day, and the fact that Dee Stakes winner, Constitution River, was diverted to the French Derby suggests that the yard has plenty of confidence in this fella. A deluge in the build-up would be a slight concern, but he should be fine on the current good to soft.

The unbeaten Item is the most obvious challenger to our selection. Hailing from the yard of Andrew Balding, this Juddmonte runner boasts an almost identical pedigree to Benvenuto Cellini. Like the market leader, he is sired by Frankel, and out of a Lope De Vega mare who won a 1m Grade 1 event in the US. Finishing ahead of Action and Christmas Day when landing the Dante Stakes, there are no real negatives, but the O’Brien factor just earns Benvenuto Cellini the vote.

If class comes to the fore, we envisage a battle to the line between Benvenuto Cellini and Item. Of those available at double-figure prices, the one we like best is the William Haggas-trained Maltese Cross. By one Derby winner in Sea The Stars, and out of a dam by another in New Approach, the mount of Tom Marquand earns a tick in the pedigree box. Impressing with his attitude when claiming the Lingfield Derby Trial, he never seems to win by far, but is the sort of horse you want on your side in a battle.

• Recommended Bet - Benvenuto Cellini to win @ 2/1 with Betfred
• Derby Forecast/Tricast - 1st Benvenuto Cellini, 2nd Item, 3rd Maltese Cross

14:05 Princess Elizabeth Stakes

Unlucky not to win the 2025 edition of the French 1,000 Guineas, She’s Perfect heads the betting in this event for the fillies. She boasts obvious claims, but taking a short price about a filly on a five-race losing streak and with only a maiden success to her name makes limited appeal.

There are no shortage of each way options here. Oisin Murphy is an intriguing jockey booking for the French raider Breckenbrough and could be involved, while Pina Sonata is very tempting at around the 15/2 mark, having won well on her return. However, the one who appears to have been overlooked by the market is Kevin Ryan’s lightly raced five-year-old, Love Dynasty. Only three lengths behind See The Fire in the Nottinghamshire Oaks last time, a repeat of that effort may be enough to hit the frame at a nice each-way price.

• Recommended Bet - Love Dynasty each way @ 20/1 with Betfred

16:40 Cherryfield (Croydon) Lester Piggott Handicap

Our final selection comes in the second of the three-year-old-only races on the card. There are unlikely to be any superstars on show in what is a handicap affair, but we have a competitive contest in store, nonetheless. Andrew Balding’s Allegresse tops the weights and the betting, but was last of four on his return at Goodwood. The market confidence suggests improvement is expected, but we prefer to look elsewhere.

Roger Varian’s Starlight Time has his chance but hasn’t been missed by the market. In what looks like a nice race for an each-way punt, our two for the shortlist are Lake Como and York Tower, with a narrow preference for the latter. By a sire who won at up to 2m, this step up in trip may spark improvement in a handicap debutante who has hit the frame in all three starts. The fact that trainer William Haggas is operating at a 28% strike rate over the past 14 days provides further cause for optimism.

• Recommended Bet - York Tower each way @ 9/1 with Coral

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