RaceiQ: how Christmas Day galloped to Derby glory

The 247th Derby featured a £2 million purse, prize money down to tenth for the first time and plenty of innovations off the track as The Jockey Club strove to bolster the iconic race after several years of flagging attendance figures. They deserved much better than a filthy afternoon, with the wind and rain no doubt impacting on attendance and dampening spirits.

Meanwhile, events on the track had a very familiar feel with Aidan O’Brien gaining a record-extending twelfth triumph in the premier Classic via Christmas Day. This was his fourth Derby triumph in succession, too, which had never previously been achieved, plus his 50th British Classic overall. Not a bad way to notch up his half century.

It seems inconceivable his exploits will ever be matched, let alone bettered, not least because the 56-year-old still has ample time to add to his tally (Sir Michael Stoute was 76 when saddling his final Derby winner in 2022).

None of the 14 runners had previously won a Group One race in Britain or Ireland, although Pierre Bonnard had picked up picked up some low-lying fruit at the highest level in France in the autumn. None had an official rating higher than 117, and only three were rated 110 or higher.

Constitution River, who had impressed in the Dee Stakes, and Hawk Mountain, winner of the Futurity as a juvenile, were notable absentees, having finished 1-2 in the Prix du Jockey Club six days earlier. Raaheeb, an emphatic winner of the Classic Trial at Sandown, and Saxon Street, who had landed the Blue Riband Trial at Epsom in April, also stayed at home, but the winners of four of the traditional spring trials were in the line-up. 

The RaceiQ data indicated the ground was soft, and that had led to jockey exploring various routes in the proceeding races.

That raised the possibility of an unsatisfactory renewal with runners heading in different directions. Thankfully, that did not occur but there was a dramatic twist after Benvenuto Cellini, the 100-30 favourite, who was tenth to finish, was deemed a non-runner after a stewards’ enquiry that was called moments after the finish.

The Stewards considered that the colt had been denied a “fair start” as his back leg was caught up in the stall as the runners were dispatched.

They were following the letter of a law that few in the sport would be aware about. The decision caused bewilderment and would have cost some punters, who backed the winner or placed horses, a deduction in their winnings. Meanwhile, bookmakers will have refunded small fortunes to other bettors.

How Stewards can apply the rule consistently is puzzling, to say the least (there were cameras in the gates on this occasion), and it is unlikely we have heard the last about the incident.

What could not be disputed is that the best horse on the day prevailed, with CHRISTMAS DAY relishing an attritional renewal that was a race of two halves. The first half was fast, a sea of red on RaceiQ, and the second half was slow, a sea of blue. In between came a half-time couple of Par numbers.

Christmas Day had the attributes to cope, even if all the stable’s previous 11 winners had galloped to glory much quicker.

The winning time was the slowest (2min 43.75sec) since Teenoso gave Lester Piggott the last of his nine Derby triumphs in 1983.

The Ballysax Stakes winner had looked short of pace when third behind Item and Action in the Dante, but he was quickly in the thick of the action from stall 5, the same gate that his sire, Camelot, had jumped from when landing the Derby in 2012.

Never worse than fourth, he gave an early indicator that he was in gift-giving mood when fastest through the fifth furlong (14.12sec). 

But it was in the closing stages that all his stamina bubbled to the surface: he was fastest in the tenth furlong (12.32sec), joint fastest in the penultimate furlong (12.52sec) and fastest in the final furlong (a sluggish 13.42sec with most other runners having thrown in the towel). 

He's almost certainly going to need similar conditions to be a force in the top middle-distance races this summer, but already looks tailor-made for the St Leger.

MALTESE CROSS (second) had impressed when fending off Bay Of Brilliance in the Lingfield Derby Trial and gave his all in second, having initially raced in midfield.

He was quicker than Christmas Day in furlongs 6, 7, 9 and 10 but the winner was simply stronger where it mattered most, being 0.32sec quicker than him, overall, in the final three furlongs.

William Haggas, the trainer of Maltese Cross, had been concerned about ground conditions for his fluent mover but the son of Sea The Stars, out of a Camelot mare, coped fine with conditions.

I’d imagine connections will work backwards from the St Leger. His low stride cadence – he averaged 2.11 strides per second – offers encouragement he will get the longer trip.

JAMES J BRADDOCK (third) was coltish and on his toes beforehand, with his mind seeming elsewhere. However, that didn’t stop him running a cracker 24 hours after Thundering On had landed the Oaks for his stable.

Held up of the pace, he was still only 11th with three furlongs to run but his splits in furlong 10 (12.20 sec, fastest) and furlong 11 (12.52sec, joint fastest) propelled him into the picture. The final uphill furlong (14.01sec) was a bridge too far but, with others being even slower, he was able to grab bronze.

Conditions came in his favour here, but he should continue to give a good account, especially if less excited in the preliminaries.

BAY OF BRILLIANCE (fourth) had come off second best with Maltese Cross in a great tussle for the Lingfield Derby Trial and the chestnut son of New Bay, a half-brother to Ebor/County Hurdle winner Absurde, gave it another good go. 

His 12.32sec tenth furlong swept him from sixth to third and he was still on course for a podium finish heading to the final furlong. However, his stamina ebbed away in the closing stages with his final furlong of 14.42sec being only seventh best. 

ALDERMAN (fifth) was one of two maidens in the field, being beaten an aggregate of more than 14 lengths in his previous three races. 

Dropped out and seemingly ridden to pick up a few pieces, the 42,000gns buy excelled himself, earning his connections £80,000. 

He was quickest through furlong seven (13sec) and only the winner was swifter through the final furlong, which Alderman completed in 13.52sec. He clearly stays well but can kiss goodbye to his pre-race handicap mark of 83, not that owner Julie Wood is likely to care. 

His performance is a nod to the exciting Water To Wine, who trounced him at Newbury in April and has since won easily again since. 

REBEL ROCKER (sixth) also flew the flag with distinction for the minnows, carrying the colours of his Devon-based breeder-owner Jennifer Dorey and being rookie trainer Faye Bramley’s first runner in the race. 

Having raced in the top five for the first mile, it looked like he might drop away (had slipped to ninth two out) before keeping on again at the finish. 

There’s plenty of stamina in his pedigree and he would normally be be one for the Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot. However, I’m not sure any of the Derby runners will want turning out again quickly. 

The handsome PIERRE BONNARD (seventh) was the late market mover, challenging his stablemate, Benvenuto Cellini, for favouritism near the off. 

He made ground from off the pace to be sixth two out, but then his progress stalled. 

He had previously all but dead heated with James J Braddock in the Derby Trial at Leopardstown and probably has a bigger performance in him, probably over shorter. 

ANCIENT EGYPT (eighth) moved powerfully up near the pace for a long way, being third with three furlongs left to run. It briefly looked like he might be capable of giving the golden gate of stall 10 yet another success in the race. 

However, he was only ninth quickest through furlong ten and that was his chance gone. This was probably a case of him getting stuck in the mud and he will be interesting back on a better surface. 

ITEM (ninth) was a leading fancy after his Dante success, when he had Christmas Day back in fourth, and was ridden as if stamina was of no concern, sitting in the slipstream of Action, the leader, from the start, and being fastest through the fourth furlong. 

But having still been fourth with two furlongs to run, he ran out of puff. Eased off, it took him 14.53sec to complete the penultimate furlong and 16.38sec to finish the final one. 

He looks sure to be back over a mile and a quarter going forwards, and connections will just be hoping this has not left a mark. 

A TASTE OF GLORY (tenth) looked a hugely ambitious runner and the 84-rated colt never figured, although his connections almost clawed back their entry money. 

BALZAC (eleventh) has great gate speed and was quickest to 20mph but that was his only claim to fame by the finish. 

ACTION (twelfth), a half-brother to 2025 winner Lambourn, was deployed as a pacemaker for better fancied stablemates and led for the first mile before going backwards.

POKER (thirteenth) changed hands for £4.5 million at the yearling sales and was almost certainly the most expensively bought horse to ever run in the Derby. It’s clear dreaming is not for free, as he was struggling to keep up from an early stage. 

BENVENUTO CELLINI was tenth to cross the line but deemed a non-runner. 

Clearly leaving the stalls on three legs was no help to him, but was it of his own doing, such as a horse rearing in the stalls, or banging his head? 

It took him 3.37sec to reach 20mph and left him instantly playing catch up. For comparison, Balzac (2.51sec) was quickest to 20mph, and A Taste Of Glory (3.60sec) slowest. 

The favourite also jumped a path shortly after the start, and never looked like getting into contention, with Ryan Moore throwing in the towel when he also got squeezed up a couple of furlongs out. 

He had ticked a range of boxes beforehand, but the long strider probably did not enjoy the deep ground, which had also been the case in last season’s Futurity. 

Don’t discount him bouncing back with a bang in the Irish Derby.