Epsom Derby 2026 Betting Preview: Winner Odds, Favorites, & Best Bets

Benvenuto Cellini (3.00)

• • Owner(s): Peter Brant, John Magnier, Michael Tabor, Westerberg
  • Trainer: Aidan O’Brien
  • Jockey: Ryan Moore
  • Stakes Race Wins: 2

O’Brien has another leading contender built for the Epsom crown. He has already won the Epsom Derby in 2023, 2024, and 2025, and has collected four championships since 2020. At 56, the Irishman continues to prepare his horses for the sport’s most prestigious races, especially the Derby at Epsom, where he holds the record.

This year, Benvenuto Cellini looks like his best chance. The two-time stakes winner is expected to be one of the strongest finishers in the stretch, and the mile and four-furlong trip should not bother him.

He has been finishing off his races powerfully, exactly what O’Brien wants to see. Benvenuto Cellini is coming off a superb run in the Chester Vase (G3), where he handled a mile and 4 1⁄2 furlongs comfortably and drew clear for the win. His strides per second in the final stretch on the telemetry data far exceeded his foes.

Brilliant from Benvenuto Cellini in the Boodles Chester Vase! 👏 @ChesterRaces pic.twitter.com/bHyYmraVQh

— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) May 6, 2026

He finished 4¼ lengths ahead of Proposition under Ryan Moore. It was his first start beyond a mile, and he passed the stamina test convincingly. That victory was his third in his last four races, underlining his sharp current form.

This is the horse to beat, and he fully deserves his status as the betting favorite to win the Epsom Derby. Comparisons to Galileo might be premature, but Benvenuto Cellini is certainly worth a spot on the shortlist for our Epsom Derby best bets.

Item (4.50)

• • Owner(s): Juddmonte
  • Trainer: Andrew Balding
  • Jockey: Colin Keane
  • Stakes Race Wins: 1

Item is well worth a close look and could be the one to end O’Brien’s dominance at Epsom Racecourse. On current evidence, he has a genuine chance to be the best horse on the day.

Fresh off his Dante victory, Item put O’Brien on notice by winning his stakes debut. That success kept his record perfect and sends him to Epsom chasing a third straight trip to the winner’s circle.

In the Dante, he faced seven rivals and drew clear of L Action, a 114-rated horse, by 2 3⁄4 lengths. It was a smart, authoritative performance over a mile and 2 1⁄2 furlongs, and it firmly established him as the primary threat to Benvenuto Cellini.

111

Item remains unbeaten in the @ABE_Dubai Dante Stakes 👇🏻 pic.twitter.com/T2MIoOvEGK

— Racing TV (@RacingTV) May 14, 2026

Item’s previous runs came over seven furlongs and a mile, distances he handled strongly. The key question now for Andrew Balding is whether he can have Item fully ready to see out the Derby trip.

Balding is one of the most accomplished trainers in Britain, but he has yet to win this race and his record doesn’t compare to O’Brien’s. Do we trust Balding to have Item prepared for the full mile and four furlongs?

In O’Brien’s hands, I’d be convinced. However, under Balding, that stamina question hangs over him.

Pierre Bonnard (8.00)

• • Owner(s): John Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, Westerberg
  • Trainer: Aidan O’Brien
  • Jockey: Wayne Lordan
  • Stakes Race Wins: 2

Along with Benvenuto Cellini, O’Brien has another solid contender in Pierre Bonnard. He may not be held in quite the same regard, but he still gives O’Brien and his team a strong second string in this year’s Derby.

Pierre Bonnard comes into Epsom in respectable form, with three wins from his last five starts. That sequence included a hat-trick of victories before he cooled off slightly, finishing 2nd and then 7th in his two most recent outings. His breakthrough came in October 2025, when he landed the biggest wins of his career.

The Irish-bred three-year-old captured the Night of Thunder Zetland Stakes (G3) before following up in the Criterium de Saint-Cloud (G1). That Group 1 success turned plenty of heads, though he has yet to reproduce that level of performance in two runs since. It’s also worth noting that Pierre Bonnard has never raced over a mile and four furlongs.

🏆𝗣𝗶𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗮𝗿𝗱 (Aidan O'Brien) s'impose avec autorité dans le Critérium de Saint-Cloud (Gr.1)

💥 C'est une 🔟ème victoire de Groupe I en 2025 pour Christophe Soumillon (@CSoumillon) pic.twitter.com/BLzcd7QEb1

— Equidia (@equidia) October 26, 2025

Even so, he has now run four consecutive times over a mile and two furlongs. While that still leaves a small question about the full Derby trip, his profile suggests he should cope with the extra couple of furlongs well enough. All told, he’s a credible player but still playing second fiddle to Benvenuto Cellini in O’Brien’s pecking order.

The Epsom Derby runners have now been declared and we have a strong lineup for this year’s renewal. The market leader Benvenuto Cellini was a really impressive winner of the Chester Vase for Aiden O’Brien, and he looks like a horse that still has more improvement to offer.

It’s no surprise to see him head the market, but this is the toughest task he will face to date, and there are some intriguing rivals for him to take on here.

I think the better value comes from the Willie Haggas trained colt Maltese Cross. He has done nothing but improve to date, and he looks like a horse that connections are only just scratching the surface with.

The rain has come at Epsom, and the cut in the ground ought to be no issue for this son of Sea The Stars. His win last time out was a really good indicator of what this horse has to offer, because there is a nice blend of speed and stamina, and the fact that he was strong through the line at Lingfield, bodes well for his chances here.

You can get Maltese Cross at 10/1 each way, which is my best bet for the Epsomy Derby.