James Maxwell
Founder & Editor · Last reviewed 2026-05-10
Sunday 10 May 2026, 15:40 BST. Leopardstown Racecourse. Cashel Palace Hotel Derby Trial Stakes, Group 3, 1m2f, 3yo c/g & fillies (with 3lb sex allowance), EUR 100,000 guaranteed.
The 2026 Leopardstown Derby Trial is Pierre Bonnard's reset opportunity -- the Aidan O'Brien colt was Coolmore's named Derby lead going into the spring after a juvenile G1 win in France, but his 6th-place flop in the Ballysax Stakes on 12 April drifted his Derby ante-post price from 2/1 favourite to 12/1+. Sunday's Leopardstown trial is his last meaningful run before the Epsom Derby on Saturday 6 June -- if he doesn't restore confidence here, his Derby supplement looks unlikely.
Aidan O'Brien on Pierre Bonnard at Ballydoyle press morning: "Don't lose faith in Pierre yet. He's going to go back to Leopardstown and we think he's going to leave that run well behind him." [via At The Races, 9 May 2026].
The 2026 race is essentially a Ballydoyle-family affair. Aidan O'Brien fields three runners (Pierre Bonnard + Ballysax 2nd Endorsement + outsider Straight Up). Joseph O'Brien runs James J Braddock; Donnacha O'Brien runs Shaihaan. 5 runners total -- a small but informative field.
Quick race details:
- Day & time: Sunday 10 May 2026, 15:40 BST
- Venue: Leopardstown Racecourse, South Dublin
- Distance: 1 mile 2 furlongs
- Eligibility: 3yo colts, geldings and fillies (3lb fillies' allowance)
- Going: Good
- Prize money: EUR 100,000 guaranteed
- Live TV: Racing TV (UK + Ireland) + RTÉ Sport (selected coverage)
- Field size: 5 runners
The Derby trail picture going into Sunday:
| Trial | Date | Headline runner | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ballysax (Leopardstown G3) | 12 April | Pierre Bonnard | 6th -- the flop |
| Chester Vase (G3) | 6 May | Benvenuto Cellini | Won 4¼ L -- 9/4 Derby fav |
| Lingfield Derby Trial | 9 May | Isaac Newton | TBD by result |
| Leopardstown Derby Trial | 10 May | Pierre Bonnard | TBD |
| Dante Stakes (G2) | 14 May | Christmas Day | TBD |
This piece covers the 5-runner field, the trends, and the verdict. For our Epsom Derby 2026 trends-and-stats for the wider Derby trial pipeline.
The 5-runner field
Pierre Bonnard (Aidan O'Brien / Ryan Moore, Evens-F)
The headline runner. Coolmore's 2025 Group 1 Critérium International winner at Saint-Cloud — the form line that flagged him as the natural Coolmore Derby lead going into the spring. Pre-Ballysax he was 2/1 ante-post Derby favourite.
The Ballysax flop on 12 April was the shock of the spring trials season — Pierre Bonnard finished 6th of 6 well-beaten under Ryan Moore. Multiple causes proposed: the colt was reportedly "unfit" coming back; the soft ground may have flattened him; the smaller field gave him no cover. His Derby price drifted from 2/1F to 12/1+ in the days following.
Why he wins: Camelot sireline, Coolmore yard signal, Ryan Moore booking, fitness improvement from Ballysax expected. Aidan O'Brien's quote — "He's going to leave that run well behind him" — is the clearest public confidence signal of the spring.
Why he loses: the Ballysax was the same course / venue that Auguste Rodin (2023) won before going on to win the Derby. If Pierre Bonnard underperforms again on the same track, the Derby supplement is realistically off.
Endorsement (Aidan O'Brien, ~5/2)
The form-line tested Coolmore second-string. 2nd in the Ballysax — the natural form-line "if Pierre Bonnard flops, Endorsement is the trial winner" candidate. Aidan O'Brien typically uses second-strings as a hedge against the lead's failure.
Why he wins: Ballysax 2nd form-line; same yard as Pierre Bonnard with the matching prep race shape. Why he loses: if Pierre Bonnard fires, Endorsement is the supporting horse — designed to act as the stamina-test against the lead.
James J Braddock (Joseph O'Brien, ~6/1)
The Joseph O'Brien hand. Curragh-form 3yo with G3 promise — Joseph typically runs 1 in the Derby Trial as a course-form-tested foil to the Aidan O'Brien runners.
Why he wins: course form (Joseph's record at Leopardstown is strong), longshot-from-the-O'Brien-yard pattern. Why he loses: sub-G1 form line.
Shaihaan (Donnacha O'Brien, ~10/1)
The Donnacha O'Brien hand. Lightly-raced 3yo. The least-form-line-tested of the three O'Brien stables.
Straight Up (Aidan O'Brien, ~12/1+)
The Coolmore third-string. Outsider in the field — typically a 3yo with promising work but lacking G1 form. Watch for the longshot-from-the-favourite-yard pattern — the same dynamic that paid off at the Chester Cup 2026 result where Joseph O'Brien's longshot at 7/1 won while his 9/2 favourite finished 7th.
The Coolmore yard chess match
Aidan O'Brien is essentially racing himself. All three Aidan runners are Coolmore-bred Camelot/Galileo-line 3yos. Pattern: when Aidan O'Brien is multi-handed at the Derby Trial, the yard's lead favourite has won 6 of last 10, with the longshot second-string winning twice (Sovereign 33/1 in 2019 was at Leopardstown trial).
Pierre Bonnard at Evens to 5/4 looks a true favourite price — the cleanest Derby reset narrative of the spring, but with real downside risk if he flops again.
For the verdict and tips see section 3.
Last 10 Leopardstown Derby Trial winners
| Year | Winner | Trainer | Subsequent Epsom Derby |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | TBD | TBD | -- |
| 2024 | Los Angeles | A O'Brien | 2nd at Epsom |
| 2023 | Slipofthepen | C Appleby | -- |
| 2022 | Stone Age | A O'Brien | 5th Epsom |
| 2021 | High Definition | A O'Brien | 4th Epsom |
| 2020 | Cormorant | A O'Brien | -- |
| 2019 | Sovereign | A O'Brien | 5th Epsom (4th-finish) |
| 2018 | Delano Roosevelt | A O'Brien | -- |
| 2017 | Cliffs Of Moher | A O'Brien | 2nd Epsom |
| 2016 | Harzand | D Weld | Won the Derby |
[Sources: Wikipedia, OLBG, geegeez.co.uk; cross-checked.]
Key reads:
- Aidan O'Brien has 7 of the last 10 Leopardstown Derby Trial winners -- the dominant single-yard signal in Irish flat racing
- Harzand (2016) is the only winner of the last 10 to have won the Epsom Derby itself
- 5 of last 10 winners finished 2nd-5th in the subsequent Epsom Derby
- Charlie Appleby has 1 win in the last 10 (Slipofthepen 2023)
- Dermot Weld's 2016 winner Harzand is the format's strongest historical Leopardstown-to-Epsom transfer
The 2026 trends-cleanest profile
| Trend | Confirmed by Pierre Bonnard |
|---|---|
| Aidan O'Brien yard signal | ✓ |
| Camelot or Galileo sireline | ✓ (Camelot) |
| Recent run within 31 days | ✓ (Ballysax 12 April → 10 May = 28 days) |
| Top-3 in betting market | ✓ (Evens favourite) |
| G1 form line from juvenile season | ✓ (Critérium International winner) |
5/5 trends confirmed for Pierre Bonnard. The cleanest profile in the field.
Win-only verdict: Pierre Bonnard (Evens-F)
Win-only at Evens is short value for a horse coming off a 6th-place flop, but the trends-clean 5/5 profile + the yard signal + Ryan Moore booking are structurally strong. The Aidan O'Brien public confidence quote is meaningful — these are not throwaway lines from the Coolmore press team.
The risk: if Pierre Bonnard flops again, the Derby supplement is essentially off. Even a 3rd-place finish would compress his Derby price further (currently 12/1).
Each-way pick: Endorsement (~5/2)
Endorsement at 5/2 is the each-way value — the Ballysax 2nd with the form-line shape that historically converts at Leopardstown when the favourite-yard's lead fails. At 1/4 odds at 3 places, an each-way bet pays a small but meaningful return on a place even if Pierre Bonnard wins.
Win-only longshot: Straight Up or Shaihaan at 10/1+
The longshot from the favourite-yard pattern (Sovereign 33/1 in 2019, Latrobe 14/1 in 2018 Irish Derby) suggests one of the longer-priced O'Brien runners has structural value. Straight Up at 12/1+ is the format-aligned longshot pick.
Calculate your each-way return: Open the Each-Way Calculator →
Where to bet
Most major UK and Irish bookmakers carry the Leopardstown Derby Trial. Best Odds Guaranteed is available on day-of-race at Bet365, William Hill, Coral, Paddy Power, Ladbrokes, and Betfred. For our bookmaker reviews see the bookmakers hub.
Responsible betting reminder: the Leopardstown Derby Trial is competitive Group 3 racing with significant Derby implications. Use small stakes, each-way bets in big fields, and stop when you've reached your budget. Free help: BeGambleAware.org.
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