Aidan O’Brien has dominated the Irish Derby of late, saddling the last three winners to take his record tally to 17 overall , and the Ballydoyle maestro is again the man to beat this Sunday.
However, he will face a strong challenge for Curragh Classic glory, both from England and within his own family. Here, we’ve ranked all eight runners in reverse order in our 2026 Irish Derby tips:
2026 Irish Derby Runner Rankings
Shaihaan
8. SHAIHAAN @ 66/1
Donnacha O’Brien is never afraid of a challenge but this Night Of Thunder Colt will have to improve on what he has shown so far to make an impact at this level.
Bunyola Bay
7. BUNYOLA BAY @ 33/1
The Hannons are no strangers to Classic success on the Emerald Isle, claiming four Irish 2,000 Guineas wins , but they don’t tend to have many horses that stay the Derby distance and this outsider has stamina doubts now stepping up in trip and class.
Action
6. ACTION @ 28/1
Boasts a couple of decent runner-up efforts in the Futurity Trophy at Doncaster and York’s Dante but faded out badly at Epsom after making the pace and the Irish Derby odds suggest he is the weakest of Aidan O’Brien ’s four remaining entries.
Pierre Bonnard
5. PIERRE BONNARD @ 12/1
Began the season high up the Ballydoyle pecking order due to a smart Group One success at Saint-Cloud as a juvenile but has so far flattered to deceive in a trio of runs at three.
Raaheeb
4. RAAHEEB @ 11/4
Has a lot to live up to as a full-brother to the brilliant Baaeed and multiple Group One winner Hukum but looked capable of upholding family honour when securing a smooth success in the Classic Trial at Sandown. Wasn’t quite ready for Epsom after pulling up a bit sore following that win and the big question here is whether the Owen Burrows-trained colt will be battle hardened enough to handle a big jump up in class at this stage in his development.
James J Braddock
3. JAMES J BRADDOCK @ 11/2
The Leopardstown Derby Trial winner threatened to boil over pre-race at Epsom but performed admirably to finish third and Joseph O’Brien is confident he will at least get closer to the winner. The Owning Hill handler said: “We’ve been very happy with his prep since Epsom and, to be honest, we think he’ll probably be better suited by the Curragh. Hopefully he will be more focused on his job and hopefully that translates to a better performance.”
Christmas Day
2. CHRISTMAS DAY @ 4/1
Bids to become the 21 st horse to complete the English-Irish Derby double, a feat achieved by Ballydoyle inmates Auguste Rodin and Lambourn in recent years and his sire Camelot back in 2012. Was the supposed O’Brien third string at Epsom but was well-supported and galloped on strongly through testing conditions from a prominent position to run out a decisive victor, in a manner which suggests this track will also suit.
Benvenuto Cellini
1. BENVENUTO CELLINI @ 11/8
Controversially declared a non-runner in the Epsom equivalent after crossing the finishing line a well-beaten 10 th but there’s no doubt his chances were hampered by getting a hind-leg caught in the stalls. Was the market leader that day on the back of a powerful Chester Vase triumph and the fact that Ryan Moore retains the faith in this striking son of Frankel is good enough for us, especially as he is bred to appreciate better ground.
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