Christmas Day Gives Camelot His First Derby Winner

In conditions more akin to the festive period then summertime at Epsom, Ballydoyle's Christmas Day mastered the gruelling test the 2026 G1 Betfred Derby became to provide Camelot with his first Blue Riband.

The subject of increased support as every shower rained down on the Surrey venue, the 7-1 shot was sent forward by Ronan Whelan to race second from the outset and when committed in early straight galloped relentlessly to a 2 3/4-length success from Maltese Cross (Sea The Stars). Third was James J Braddock (Zarak), 2 1/2 lengths away while the favourite Benvenuto Cellini (Frankel) was never able to land any kind of blow.

It later transpired that Benvenuto Cellini had missed the break, having had his hind leg raised and was declared a non-runner having been disadvantaged by the start, but this was all about another outsider of the stable's runners to prevail in the mould of Wings Of Eagles, Serpentine and Lambourn. For Ronan Whelan, who was becoming the ninth Derby-winning jockey for Aidan O'Brien, the race was welcomingly uneventful as the pair made their own way home in isolation.

“It's very surreal, it felt so smooth and went so easily,” he said. “The stars aligned for me. He was lovely and calm beforehand and I knew after a couple of furlongs he was happy and in a rhythm. Aidan fills you with such confidence, but I was on the fourth-string and no-one was expecting too much. I found a nice lane up the straight and went and won the Derby! Every time I gave him a squeeze, he was going forward and it couldn't have gone any better.”

This was a 12th win in the Blue Riband for Aidan O'Brien and a landmark 50th British Classic success. “He's done nothing but improve, he's so genuine, stays and loved the soft ground,” he said of the winner, who had won the Eyrefield at two and taken the Ballysax before running third in the Dante in his spring preparation. “I'm delighted for the lads, they put everything in. He's a tough hardy horse and by the right stallion.”

“We always felt he was going to stay and Ronan gave him a beautiful ride,” he added. “He's a very unassuming horse with a lovely mind and plenty of class. Conditions changed and nobody knew what was going to happen, Ryan and Christophe got a bit sandwiched in the straight but you can't take anything away from the winner, every day he's done the same thing and is uncomplicated.”

“It's tough competition and to win one Classic is so difficult, let alone 50,” he concluded. “I'm so delighted to win big races for John and Sue and Michael and Doreen and Derrick and Sarah, because they put so much into it and that's what allows it to happen. I'm delighted for Camelot, he's a serious stallion and always was and we're only going to see what he can do going forward.”

Tom Marquand said of Maltese Cross, “Everything went perfect for us. He was feeling fantastic and he took the first two-thirds of the race great. It all went smooth and I thought my scrap was going to be similar to Lingfield with the Beckett horse, but the winner was very good. He bowled away up the middle and made it too hard for us to catch him.”

“Our lad has run fantastic and George [Waud] and the team are thrilled,” he added. “You'd love to be the winner in a race like this, but we gave it a good crack and we've got a really fun horse for the rest of the year. He didn't love the ground, but he's super honest and talented and he travelled super. I'm looking forward to getting him on a bit better ground and seeing if he can turn the tables.”

Kevin Blake, part owner of James J Braddock, said, “He ran a stormer and we are very, very proud of him. He showed some immaturity in the prelims and he did that before the Ballysax, but he was much better last time. This is the ultimate test of the thoroughbred and the prelims are part of it and it's something that can be fixed. I need to watch it again, but it seemed a really attritional Derby and he hit the line well. It's only the fifth run of his life. For a horse like him to end up here and be placed in a Derby–we've all got such a kick out of it. It's the greatest race in the world.”

Ralph Beckett said of the fourth-placed Bay Of Brilliance, “Hector [Crouch] said if he'd stood up on him in the last furlong, he'd have stopped to a walk so he's got there on sheer willpower, but we kind of knew he was made like that. I'm very proud of him.”

Crouch added, “I thought the ground would play to his strengths, being by New Bay, but it seemed to suck the life out of him and he didn't skip off it like he did at Lingfield. But he's a high-class horse and there's a lot to look forward to.”

! ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/aksUSYD7eC

— Racing TV (@RacingTV) June 6, 2026

Pedigree Notes
Christmas Day is out of the Stakes winner Beauly (Sea The Stars), whose first foal was the three-times Grade III winner Missed The Cut (Quality Road). The second dam is the Wilshire Handicap winner Pickle (Piccolo), who was responsible for Oasis Dream's four-times Listed scorer and sire Gusto, while the family also features the same sire's Jersey Stakes winner and Irish 2,000 Guineas runner-up Gale Force Ten, the Falmouth heroine Simply Perfect (Danehill) and the Moyglare Stud Stakes winner Bianca Nera (Salse). Beauly's yearling colt is by Wootton Bassett.

Saturday, Epsom, Britain
BETFRED DERBY-G1, £2,000,000, Epsom, 6-6, 3yo, 12f 6yT, 2:44.28, sf.
1–CHRISTMAS DAY (IRE), 128, c, 3, by Camelot (GB)
                1st Dam: Beauly (GB) (SW-US & SP-Eng), by Sea The Stars (Ire)
                2nd Dam: Pickle (GB), by Piccolo (GB)
                3rd Dam: Crackle (GB), by Anshan (GB)
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. (450,000gns Ylg '24 TATOCT). O-Mrs John Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, Westerberg & Peter Brant; B-Framont Ltd; T-Aidan O'Brien; J-Ronan Whelan. £1,000,000. Lifetime Record: MGSW-Ire, 7-4-0-2, $1,469,670. *1/2 to Missed the Cut (Quality Road), MGSW-US & SW-Eng. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Maltese Cross (Fr), 128, c, 3, Sea The Stars (Ire)–Nabatea (Ger), by Camelot (GB). TDN Rising Star. 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE; 1ST GROUP 1 BLACK TYPE. (€200,000 Wlg '23 ARQDEN; 350,000gns Ylg '24 TATOCT). O-George Waud; B-Ecurie du Sud & Ecurie Gribomont; T-William Haggas. £400,000.
3–James J Braddock (GB), 128, c, 3, Zarak (Fr)–Burkina Faso (GB), by Mukhadram (GB). 1ST GROUP 1 BLACK TYPE. (20,000gns Wlg '23 TADEWE; 40,000gns Ylg '24 TATOCT). O-Aziz Kheir Aust Partners & Kevin Blake; B-Mrs Anita Wigan (GB); T-Joseph O'Brien. £200,000.
Margins: 2 3/4, 2HF, 2. Odds: 7.00, 12.00, 9.00.
Also Ran: Bay Of Brilliance (GB), Alderman (GB), Rebel Rocker (GB), Pierre Bonnard (Ire), Ancient Egypt (Ire), Item (GB), A Taste Of Glory (Ger), Balzac (Ger), Action (Ire), Poker (Ire). Scratched: Benvenuto Cellini (Ire).