The Derby: 20 stats, facts, trivia and RaceiQ nuggets

1 Aidan O’Brien is seeking a record-extending 12th Derby triumph. His first winner of the premier Classic was Galileo, in 2001, and his latest was Lambourn, last year. No trainer has ever won four successive editions of the Derby but the master of Ballydoyle is on the brink of achieving that.

2 Galileo went on to become a superstar stallion and sired a record five winners of the race, all but one of them trained by O’Brien. He sired New Approach (2008), Ruler Of The World (2013), Australia (2014), Anthony Van Dyck (2019) and Serpentine (2020).

3 O’Brien often has multiple runners, including on ten occasions when he has taken the prize. However, his perceived “first string” has only fared best 40 per cent of the time.

4 Overall, he has saddled 104 runners in The Derby. He had a record eight in 2007, when second-placed Eagle Mountain was his best performer.

5 O’Brien will saddle four runners this time, including the favourite, Benvenuto Cellini, named after the 16th century Italian goldsmith, sculptor, and author. He has been drawn in stall 12, the same as two of O’Brien’s previous winners in Australia and Serpentine.

6 The equine Benevunto Cellini is a son of Frankel, a titan of the turf who won all 14 of his races. He didn’t run in the Derby but has sired a winner of the race in Adayar, who took the spoils in 2021.

7 The RaceiQ data tells us that Benvenuto Cellini has the biggest average stride length among all the Derby runners. He averaged almost eight metres at Chester on his latest start. Also, he boasts the highest speed of any horse in this year’s field, hitting 41.46mph at The Curragh last year, when he polished off the penultimate furlong in 10.82 seconds. That’s also the fastest furlong any of the Derby runners has managed.

8 Ryan Moore, the rider of Benvenuto Cellini, is the most successful current jockey, winning the Derby on four occasions via Workforce (2010), Ruler Of The World (2013), Auguste Rodin (2023) and City Of Troy (2024). Workforce won in a record time that still stands.

9 But Lester Piggott remains on a different plane with his nine triumphs, the last of which was Teenoso in 1984.

10 Four men have ridden and trained a Derby winner - Matt Stephenson, John Forth, Robert Sherwood and Harry Wragg. Joseph O’Brien, who guided Australia and Camelot to glory in the saddle, will emulate them if James J Braddock prevails.

11 Nine Derby winners have retired unbeaten, the latest being Lammtarra, in 1995. He won each of his four races. The only horse with an unblemished record on Saturday is Item, who preserved his 100 per cent record when landing last month’s Dante at York.

12 Starting stalls were first used in the Derby in 1967. Since then, a dozen winners have jumped from stall 10, making it easily the most successful place to start from. Had you blindly put £1 on the horse drawn in stall 10 every year, in the past 60 years, you would be £25 in profit.

13 Ancient Egypt will jump from stall 10 on Saturday. No winners have been drawn in stalls 2 (Balzac) or 11 (Action).

14 Balzac is among the big outsiders but if the bookmakers were betting on who would be fastest to 20mph, then he would probably be favourite. Of the top ten 0-20mph speeds recorded by all the runners, the RaceiQ data reveals he is responsible for three of them. His PB has been 2.25 seconds.

15 The oldest runner this year is Alderman, foaled on January 13, 2023. The youngest is Action, born on May 3.

16 The 2010 winner, Workforce, remains the fastest Derby winner. He stopped the clock at 2 minutes 31.33 seconds.

17 Shergar’s 10 length win in 1981 remains a record winning margin. The brilliant colt was kidnapped early on in his stallion career and never seen again.

18 Saturday marks the 20th anniversary of one of the closest Derbys ever run. In a four-way photo, Sir Percy beat Dragon Dancer, Dylan Thomas and Hala Bek a short-head, a head and a short-head.

19 And it’s the 40th anniversary of another famous finish, when Shahrastani held off the late thrust of Dancing Brave. The latter would turn the tables in the King George, at Ascot, before being a stunning winner of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

20 The last of four grey winners was Airborne, back in 1946, but there is no runner for the silver brigade this year. The line-up comprises 10 bays and four chestnuts.