Epsom Derby Festival Saturday 2026: Derby Day Preview

Saturday's seven-race card

Off-time	Race	Distance	Grade
1:30pm	Saturday opener	1m2f	Handicap
2:05pm	Investec Derby Trial	1m4f	Listed (3yo)
2:40pm	Saturday G3	1m	G3
3:15pm	Saturday Heritage Handicap	1m4f	Handicap
3:30pm	Betfred Derby	1m4f6y	G1 (3yo colts)
4:10pm	Oaks Trial	1m4f	Listed (3yo fillies)
4:45pm	Derby-Day closer	7f	Handicap

[Note: 2026 off-times follow the historical Epsom Derby template. Final times confirmed by Epsom Downs Racecourse approximately 5 days before the meeting.]

Betfred Derby (G1, 3:30pm) -- the world's premier flat Classic

The 2025 race was won by Lambourn (13/2, A O'Brien / W Lordan) -- 3 3/4 L margin from Lazy Griff (50/1). Time 2m 38.50s. Delacroix (2/1F) finished 9th; Pride Of Arras (4/1) was 17th; The Lion In Winter (7/1) was tailed off in 14th. The 2025 favourites' flop was the editorial story.

For 2026: Aidan O'Brien going for a fourth Derby in succession. Benvenuto Cellini (5/1) is the named Coolmore lead via the Chester Vase route -- if he wins the Vase well, he becomes the 5/2-7/2 race-day favourite. The Coolmore second-string is Christmas Day (Dante route) at 10-12/1.

The non-Coolmore Derby ladder emerges from:

• Raaheeb (Burrows) -- Sandown bet365 Classic Trial winner, Dante route NOT Derby per Burrows
• Al Zanati (Appleby) -- Sandown 2nd, Lingfield Derby Trial route TBC
• Maltese Cross (Haggas) -- earmarked for Lingfield Derby Trial Sat 9 May or the Vase
• Wathnan / Godolphin / Gosden runners -- TBC at the 5-day declarations

For the dedicated Derby tipping see our Epsom Derby 2026 Tips piece.

Investec Derby Trial (Listed, 2:05pm) -- Derby-also-rans landing spot

Listed conditions race over 1m4f for 3yos -- non-Pattern but a Derby-also-rans landing spot for horses who didn't make the Derby cut. The trial historically produces an Irish Derby runner (Lambourn 2025 was Vase 2nd; the Derby Trial winner often goes to the Curragh).

Saturday G3 (2:40pm) -- older miler form-line tester

Group 3 over 1 mile for older horses. A second-tier prep for the Royal Ascot Queen Anne; Andrew Balding + Charlie Appleby dominate.

Saturday Heritage Handicap (3:15pm) -- 1m4f handicap

Heritage Handicap over 1m4f. Often a Derby-also-rans + Royal Ascot King George V Stakes pipeline race.

Oaks Trial (Listed, 4:10pm) -- 3yo fillies' Derby-Day equivalent

The Saturday equivalent of Friday's Princess Elizabeth Stakes. 1m4f Listed for 3yo fillies who didn't make the Oaks cut.

Derby-Day closer (Handicap, 4:45pm) -- value-pick

The Saturday closer is a competitive 7f handicap -- often a value-pick to close the day.

For our broader Saturday breakdown see the Epsom Derby Festival 2026 Preview.

Saturday's betting angles

The Derby -- Coolmore lead, but the favourite has flopped 3 of 5 years

Aidan O'Brien is 11/12 since 2007 -- the most-dominant trainer-race combination in modern flat racing. But the favourite has flopped in 3 of last 5 years:

• 2021: Adayar (16/1) won; favourite (Bolshoi Ballet) was 7th
• 2022: Desert Crown (5/2F) won -- the only recent favourite winner
• 2023: Auguste Rodin (9/2) won; favourite (Aspetar / The Lion In Winter both flopped)
• 2024: City Of Troy (11/8F) won
• 2025: Lambourn (13/2) won; favourite (Delacroix 2/1F) finished 9th

The pattern: the Coolmore-trained second-string at 5/1+ is the historical value play, not the win-only bet on the favourite.

For 2026: if Benvenuto Cellini wins the Chester Vase well, he's a likely race-day favourite at 5/2-7/2. The each-way bet on Christmas Day (Dante route, 10-12/1) or Pierre Bonnard (Leopardstown route, 10/1) is the trends-supported value play.

The Investec Derby Trial -- Irish Derby pipeline

The non-Pattern Listed race that runs Saturday is the typical Irish Derby pipeline for horses who didn't make the Derby cut. Aidan O'Brien historically run 1-2 horses here as Irish Derby preps; Joseph O'Brien also has a strong record.

The Saturday G3 -- Charlie Appleby angle

Charlie Appleby has won this race 3 times in 5 years. William Buick retains the senior ride. Appleby with a Listed-graduate stepping up to G3 mile is one of the most-followed trainer-race patterns of the spring.

The Saturday Heritage Handicap -- William Haggas angle

William Haggas has dominated the 1m4f handicap pattern at Epsom historically. Tom Marquand retains. Haggas with a Lingfield Derby Trial graduate at the right weight is the historical value play.

Where to bet

For Derby-specific offers -- most major firms run Best Odds Guaranteed, Non-Runner-No-Bet from the 5-day declarations stage, and 1/4 odds 4 places each-way. Bet365 (Bet £10 Get £30 in Bet Credits), Coral (Bet £10 Get £40), Paddy Power (Bet £5 Get £30) and William Hill (Bet £10 Get £40) all run BOG; Star Sports does not (BOG withdrawn December 2024).

Specialist racing operator -- Star Sports. Star Sports has racecourse pitches at Epsom for both days of the Derby Festival including Derby Day. Star Sports withdrew Best Odds Guaranteed in December 2024; value at the firm now comes through curated Star Boosts + the on-course presence. Welcome offer: BET20GET10 -- Bet £20 Get £10 in Free Bets.

For the cross-bookmaker view of Derby Day offers see our bookmakers index.

Responsible note

The Derby is the year's biggest betting race outside the Grand National. Turnover exceeds GBP 100m most years. Resist chasing losses if Friday's Coronation Cup + Oaks didn't go to plan. Bet only money you can afford to lose, set deposit limits. BeGambleAware.org. For our broader take on data-driven racing analysis see we built an AI horse racing model.