Horse Racing stats man, Andy has contributed to OLBG for 18 years - An Ipswich fan and F1 fanatic, he also contributes EFL football and Motor Sport opinion.
2026 Irish Derby Preview
Established in 1866, the Irish Derby is a Group 1 race run at the Curragh in Ireland, open to three-year-old colts and fillies. The race is scheduled to take place in June each year. The race is run over one mile and four furlongs, and each runner carries nine stones except for fillies who get a three-pound allowance.
The race is the Irish equivalent of the Epsom Derby and is usually run about three weeks after the English version. The English-Irish Derby double has been completed numerous times; a total of twenty runners have now completed the double, including Lambourn in 2025.
Irish Derby Information:
Our dedicated Curragh tips page will not only bring you predictions from the OLBG racing tipsters for the upcoming card that includes the Irish Derby, but will also have predictions for each meeting at Curragh throughout the season, so be sure to head over there. You may also be interested in other preview blogs that we have packed full of information. Head down to the Other Principal Races at Curragh Racecourse section for links to these.
Best Horse Racing Betting Sites 2025
How competitive is the Irish Derby market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 20 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2024 when the race had an over-round of 110%. The race in 2013 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 124%, whilst on average over the last 20 renewals of the Irish Derby, the over-round has been 118%, which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £118 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2026 Irish Derby Trends. See which patterns have occurred over the recent renewals that you may be able to use for the next renewal. We also have a section that looks at the Irish Derby Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run Irish Derby races over the last 20 renewals:
- Trading Leather (2:27.17) in 2013
- Los Angeles (2:28.15) in 2024
- Cape Blanco (2:28.68) in 2010
Looking at the future form, is the winner worth following next time out? Over the past 20 renewals, if you had followed the winner of the Irish Derby next time out, then you would have backed a total of 6 winners. Backing all 19 runners who have been out since their win at SP next time out would have returned an LSP of -3.98. Remember to use the racing predictions along with the information on this page to find a bet on the 2026 Irish Derby.
The runner that holds the record over the past 20 renewals for the slowest time in the race was set in the 2012 renewal when Camelot from A P O'Brien under the guidance of Joseph O'Brien, won in a time of 2:43.96, whilst at the other end of the spectrum, Trading Leather, trained by J S Bolger and ridden by Kevin Manning set the quickest time of 2:27.17 in the 2013 renewal.
What the expert says...
Andy Powell - Horse Racing Betting Expert - OLBG.com
Irish Derby Past Winners
Here are the Irish Derby past winners for the last 10 renewals. Each row details the year of the race, the horse which won, along with the age & weight of the horse. Also detailed is the stall where the horse came from and the total number of runners in the race. The horse's trainer and the jockey at the time of winning the Irish Derby are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
| Year | Horse (Drawn) | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 2:29.18 | Lambourn (IRE) 3yo 9-2 (5 of 10) 8/13F | Ryan Moore A P O'Brien (IRE) |
| 2024 2:28.15 | Los Angeles (IRE) 3yo 9-2 (3 of 8) 13/8 | Ryan Moore A P O'Brien (IRE) |
| 2023 2:33.24 | Auguste Rodin (IRE) 3yo 9-2 (1 of 9) 4/11F | Ryan Moore A P O'Brien (IRE) |
| 2022 2:34.80 | Westover (GB) 3yo 9-2 (5 of 8) 11/8F | Colin Keane Ralph Beckett (GB) |
| 2021 2:33.85 | Hurricane Lane (IRE) 3yo 9-2 (3 of 11) 4/1 | William Buick Charlie Appleby (GB) |
| 2020 2:38.17 | Santiago (IRE) 3yo 9-2 (11 of 14) 2/1F | Seamie Heffernan A P O'Brien (IRE) |
| 2019 2:31.50 | Sovereign (IRE) 3yo 9-0 (2 of 8) 33/1 | P B Beggy A P O'Brien (IRE) |
| 2018 2:32.62 | Latrobe (IRE) 3yo 9-0 (8 of 12) 14/1 | Donnacha O'Brien Joseph Patrick O'Brien (IRE) |
| 2017 2:35.45 | Capri (IRE) 3yo 9-0 (1 of 9) 6/1 | Seamie Heffernan A P O'Brien (IRE) |
| 2016 2:38.05 | Harzand (IRE) 3yo 9-0 (2 of 9) 4/6F | Pat Smullen D K Weld (IRE) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Irish Derby have been based:
- IRE: 17 winners with an additional 29 placings from 148 runners
- GB: 3 winners with an additional 8 placings from 35 runners
- FR: 0 winners with an additional 1 placing from 6 runners
2025 Irish Derby Replay
Irish Derby Trainer Statistics
The leading trainer in the Irish Derby over the last 20 renewals is A P O'Brien, who has won the race fourteen times, with those fourteen winners coming from Dylan Thomas (2006), Soldier Of Fortune (2007), Frozen Fire (2008), Fame And Glory (2009), Cape Blanco (2010), Treasure Beach (2011), Camelot (2012), Australia (2014), Capri (2017), Sovereign (2019), Santiago (2020), Auguste Rodin (2023), Los Angeles (2024) and Lambourn (2025).
Here are some of the top Irish Derby trainer statistics over the last 20 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):
| Trainer | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| A P O'Brien | 82-14-36 | +9.17 | +25.54 |
| J S Bolger | 14-1-2 | -7.00 | -5.60 |
| D K Weld | 10-1-2 | -8.33 | -7.70 |
| Joseph Patrick O'Brien | 6-1-1 | +9.00 | +3.40 |
| John Gosden | 4-1-2 | -2.09 | -1.65 |
| Ralph Beckett | 3-1-1 | -0.62 | -1.17 |
| Charlie Appleby | 2-1-1 | +3.00 | +1.40 |
| Mrs John Harrington | 5-0-0 | -5.00 | -5.00 |
| Donnacha Aidan O'Brien | 4-0-1 | -4.00 | -1.70 |
| Sir Michael Stoute | 4-0-2 | -4.00 | -2.00 |
Irish Derby Jockey Statistics
The leading jockey in the Irish Derby over the last 20 renewals is Seamie Heffernan, who has won the race four times, with those four winners coming from Soldier Of Fortune (2007), Frozen Fire (2008), Capri (2017) and Santiago (2020). Other jockeys who have recorded multiple wins in the Irish Derby are Ryan Moore (3 wins) and William Buick (2 wins). There is one jockey who has not had the best of times in the Irish Derby; Wayne Lordan has ridden 10 runners in the race without recording any wins.
Here are some of the top Irish Derby jockey statistics over the last 20 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):
| Jockey | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seamie Heffernan | 17-4-10 | +16.00 | +17.60 |
| Ryan Moore | 13-3-8 | -7.39 | -5.14 |
| William Buick | 6-2-3 | +0.91 | +0.85 |
| Colin Keane | 4-1-1 | -1.62 | -2.17 |
| Wayne Lordan | 10-0-1 | -10.00 | -8.60 |
| Declan McDonogh | 9-0-1 | -9.00 | -0.50 |
| Ronan Whelan | 5-0-2 | -5.00 | +0.30 |
| Gavin Ryan | 4-0-2 | -4.00 | +1.60 |
| Chris Hayes | 4-0-0 | -4.00 | -4.00 |
| Shane Foley | 4-0-0 | -4.00 | -4.00 |
2026 Irish Derby Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): 1, 3, 3, 1, 4, 4, 1, 5, 1, 1, 1, 3, 3, 2, 1, 10, (1, 4), 1, 3, 1
The percentage shown is the percentage of the total number of runners who fell under that factor. High percentages are less appealing than lower ones, as you would expect them to do well.
- 20 / 20 (60%) - Achieved a TS of 77+ (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (64%) - Within the first 6 of the market
- 20 / 20 (70%) - No bigger than 67/10 (Career Win)
- 20 / 20 (70%) - Highest Placed is not LST/Cl2-4
- 20 / 20 (71%) - Ran in 1 race (30 Days)
- 20 / 20 (75%) - Furthest ran 1m2½f - 1m6f
- 20 / 20 (75%) - Achieved an RPR of 104+ (Season)
- 20 / 20 (75%) - No bigger than 13/2 (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (76%) - Carried 124 - 131lbs (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (79%) - Off a break of 8 - 29 days
- 20 / 20 (79%) - No bigger than 33/1
- 20 / 20 (79%) - Ran in 4 - 8 races (Career)
- 20 / 20 (81%) - Achieved a TS of 81+ (Career)
- 20 / 20 (85%) - Beaten no more -7½l (Debut)
- 20 / 20 (85%) - Achieved an RPR of 91+ (LTO)
Remember to use the trends listed above, along with the Curragh racing predictions, to see if you can find the winner of the Irish Derby. Did you know that we have an OLBG Betting School section on OLBG? It is a place to help you improve your betting experience with articles covering numerous topics.
Are you already a member? If not, then why not? With over £6,000 given away each month in the tipster competition, why not get involved? Remember, it is completely FREE! So, head over to the registration page to sign up today! If you are already a member, then share your thoughts on the Irish Derby by adding a tip on the race here.
101 Ways to find Winners in Horse Racing
Irish Derby Trend Analysis
✅ The trend factor, which has produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +17.63, is when runners ran at Epsom last time out.
❌ The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners had 0 starts in the past 30 days, when backing these, the trend shows a record of 0-39.
Here are the most recent winning draws, along with the further placings in brackets:
- 2025: Winner in 5 (1,4) [10 Runners]
- 2024: Winner in 3 (8,6) [8 Runners]
- 2023: Winner in 1 (3,6) [9 Runners]
- 2022: Winner in 5 (2,8) [8 Runners]
- 2021: Winner in 3 (8,11) [11 Runners]
The course which has produced the most winners of the Irish Derby is Epsom; there have been a total of 16 winners of this race who ran at Epsom last time out.
The race is open to both sexes, with the Male runners having produced a total of 20 winners from a total of 186 runners, whilst the Female runners have produced 0 winners from a total of 3 runners.
Looking over the past renewals, these are the stallions whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the Irish Derby:
- Galileo (6 Wins)
- Montjeu (3 Wins)
- Camelot (2 Wins)
- Frankel (2 Wins)
These are the stallions whose offspring have not produced a winner of the Irish Derby despite multiple attempts:
- Sadlers Wells (0 Wins from 9 runners)
- Dubawi (0 Wins from 5 runners)
Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Sovereign in 2019, winning for A P O'Brien at odds of 33/1 under the guidance of P B Beggy. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 20 renewals, there have been 10 winning favourites in the race. Before placing your bet on the 2026 Irish Derby, head over to see which other runners today are being backed by the best racing tipsters.
Route to the Irish Derby
Many trainers will target races to use as prep races before coming to the Irish Derby. These are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2025 - Lambourn Epsom - 1st of 18 (13/2) | Epsom Derby |
| 2024 - Los Angeles Epsom - 3rd of 16 (6/1) | Epsom Derby |
| 2023 - Auguste Rodin Epsom - 1st of 14 (9/2) | Epsom Derby |
| 2022 - Westover Epsom - 3rd of 17 (25/1) | Epsom Derby |
| 2021 - Hurricane Lane Epsom - 3rd of 11 (6/1) | Epsom Derby |
| 2020 - Santiago Ascot - 1st of 8 (10/3) | Queen's Vase |
| 2019 - Sovereign Epsom - 10th of 13 (50/1) | Epsom Derby |
| 2018 - Latrobe Curragh - 1st of 6 (1/6) | Brady Burns Insurance Brokers Supporting June Fest Maiden |
| 2017 - Capri Epsom - 6th of 18 (16/1) | Epsom Derby |
| 2016 - Harzand Epsom - 1st of 16 (13/2) | Epsom Derby |
Article Contributor Information
We are blessed with an excellent team of specialists and experts at OLBG. Contributing to creating and maintaining this Irish Derby Preview are at hand, Andy and James. They both work on the Horse racing tips team team looking after the tipsters and managing the tips settlement, whilst also creating and managing all of the horse racing event previews for International racing.
James Banting
Tipster Competition Assistant
Andy Powell
Content Editor
