Christmas Day lights up Epsom Derby as O’Brien makes more history

EPSOM, United Kingdom (AFP) — Aidan O’Brien became the first trainer to win four successive Epsom Derbies when Christmas Day eased to victory on Saturday.

The winner also brought up a half-century of British classic wins for the 56-year-old Irishman who was welcoming home a record-extending 12th winner in the race.

His landmark victory brightened a gloomy, overcast day and came in front of King Charles III and Queen Camilla, who presented the trophies to the winning connections.

In a bizarre post-script, the leading fancy of O’Brien’s four runners Benvenuto Cellini, who finished down the field of the 14 runners, was declared a non-runner after race stewards saw that one of his hind legs was caught in the starting stalls.

Christmas Day was not the most fancied of O’Brien’s four runners but the 7/1 chance was given a superb ride by Ronan Whelan who was winning the Derby for the first time.

“We fancied his chances as he is improving all the time and stays,” said O’Brien.

“Ronan gave him a beautiful ride.

“He is a tough hardy horse.”

Regarding his landmark 50th classic O’Brien, as is his habit, praised a host of people who work in the stables back in Ireland.

He contented himself with: “It is unbelievable, but I am just a small part of a huge team.”

For Whelan, who is the ninth different jockey to win a Derby for O’Brien, it was incredibly simple as he followed Wayne Lordan’s well-judged pace on stablemate Action.

“It was so easy, to be honest! I had Wayne there to do the fractions, and he never gets it wrong from the front,” said Whelan.

“The horse loves the ground and it felt so effortless for him.

“I can’t thank everyone enough. It’s my second season [with O’Brien], and I’ve made friends for life down there. It hasn’t sunk in yet.

“When we were running down the hill and Wayne was smacking away, I knew I had loads left. I wish I was as cool a customer as the horse was!”

Christmas Day, not the first winner to have a name that resonates with the festive season as Santa Claus won the 1964 edition, was never challenged once he hit the front in the finishing straight.

Maltese Cross finished second, with James J Braddock, trained by O’Brien’s son Joseph, third.

“The beauty about riding for Aidan is that he kills you with confidence,” said Whelan.

“I’ve been lucky; I’ve had some big days but in a first-jockey position you feel the pressure a lot more, and it’s then a huge burst of emotion and relief.

“Today was very cool and smooth, the race couldn’t have gone any better, and it just felt like a bit of work.

“To be here riding for these connections in this atmosphere, it is the stuff of dreams,” added the 33-year-old.

For Aidan O’Brien it was his second Derby inside a week as he trained the first three home in the French edition last Sunday.

Benvenuto Cellini briefly battled his way into a position from where he could launch a challenge but his early misfortune had cost him any extra energy and he was unable to accelerate when jockey Ryan Moore asked him to.

“He was standing on three legs when the stalls opened,” explained head of race stewarding Shaun Parker.

“We then considered the fact that, in terms of our rules, he had been denied a fair start.

“Having got evidence from Ryan Moore that he wanted to go forward with the horse, we noted that he was very slowly into stride and was second-last shortly after the start and was really on the back foot.

“His race had, in our view, been negatively affected. On that basis, in terms of rule H6, we can then declare a horse a non-runner.”