2026 Derby: changes to note, plus US and Japanese runners entered

Bob Baffert was the surprise name among the entries for the 2026 Betfred Derby, with the American Hall of Fame handler giving three-time winner Greenwich Village the option of testing his mettle at Epsom Downs in June.

The son of Quality Road was in the winner’s enclosure as recently as Sunday when winning the Pasedena Stakes at Santa Anita and would be the first US-trained runner in the Premier Classic since Michael Dickinson saddled Wolf Prince to finish eighth in 1993.

Of an Epsom tilt, Tom Ryan, of Greenwich Village’s 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.”

There could be further international representation with Japanese-trained colts Akkan (Takeshi Okumura) and Choreo Sequence (Yuta Sato) amongst the 88 entries.

Choreo Sequence won a newcomers’ race when making his debut at Tokyo in December and was last seen on February 10, when a close fourth in the Group Three Kisaragi Sho over nine furlongs at Kyoto.

The colt’s trainer, Yuta Sato, said: “The Derby, with its near 250-year history, is a truly magnificent race that I have long admired.

“Although we are still at the consideration stage, the owner (Hiroyuki Kawakatsu) has entrusted us with a horse of tremendous potential, and for that reason we have decided to enter him in the Derby at Epsom Downs.

“Choreo Sequence’s dam line traces back to Germany, and his pedigree includes the names of outstanding sires such as Sadler’s Wells and Monsun, both produced by Europe’s great horsemen.

“It is a great honour to be able to include the Derby as an option for such a well-bred and promising horse. At the same time, we will continue to assess his condition carefully as we consider the best path forward.”

The second Japanese-trained entry, Akkan, a two-time winner over 10 furlongs in 2025.

Although no Japanese-trained runner has ever lined up in the premier Classic, the 2023 winner, Auguste Rodin, was sired by leading Japanese stallion Deep Impact.

There is just one French-trained runner entered; Ebiyar from Francis-Henri Graffard's stable. The Aga Khan Stud homebred is by Siyouni and won his only start to date over 1m1f at Longchamp in October. He also has Classic entries in France and is well-bred for Epsom, coming from the family of Dermot Weld's 2024 Oaks heroine Ezeliya.

All of the major names in the early ante-post betting feature, with Aidan O’Brien dominating the top of the market.

After landing a record-extending 11th Derby with Lambourn last year, the master of Ballydoyle looks to hold leading claims of a fourth-straight success in the mile-and-a-half Classic, with his Pierre Bonnard currently the 6-1 favourite with the race sponsors.

PIERRE BONNARD: 6-1

HAWK MOUNTAIN: 10-1

BENVENUTO CELLINI: 14-1

CONSTITUTION RIVER: 16-1

ACTION: 18-1

MONTREAL: 20-1

PUERTO RICO: 20-1

ALBERT EINSTEIN: 20-1

GSTAAD: 25-1

RAAHEEB: 25-1

AMADEUS MOZART: 25-1