You know how punters get lost in too much data or bet blindly? I break down the stats and trends so you can feel confident you’re betting with more than just gut instinct.
2027 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:
If you are interested in other predictions at Curragh, then head over to the Curragh tips page to see which runners are being supported by the OLBG racing tipsters and also compare those predictions to the runners that make the trend shortlist when added below. 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 2026
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 2027 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
- Benvenuto Cellini (2:28.33) in 2026
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. Before placing your bet on the 2027 Irish Derby, see which other runners today are being backed on the racing predictions page.
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 race year, the winning horse, and the horse's age & weight. Also detailed is the stall from which the horse came 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 2:28.33 | Benvenuto Cellini (IRE) 3yo 9-2 (8 of 8) 7/4F | Ryan Moore A P O'Brien (IRE) |
| 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) |
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 31 placings from 147 runners
- GB: 3 winners with an additional 7 placings from 34 runners
- FR: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 3 runners
2026 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 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), Lambourn (2025) and Benvenuto Cellini (2026).
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 | 83-14-38 | +5.42 | +25.19 |
| J S Bolger | 13-1-2 | -6.00 | -4.60 |
| D K Weld | 10-1-2 | -8.33 | -7.70 |
| Joseph Patrick O'Brien | 7-1-1 | +8.00 | +2.40 |
| 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 |
| Donnacha Aidan O'Brien | 5-0-1 | -5.00 | -2.70 |
| Mrs John Harrington | 5-0-0 | -5.00 | -5.00 |
| Kevin Prendergast | 4-0-0 | -4.00 | -4.00 |
Irish Derby Jockey Statistics
There are two leading jockeys in the Irish Derby over the last 20 renewals, with both Seamie Heffernan and Ryan Moore, who have both won the race four times. Seamie Heffernan's winners have been with Soldier Of Fortune (2007), Frozen Fire (2008), Capri (2017) and Santiago (2020). Ryan Moore's winners have been with Auguste Rodin (2023), Los Angeles (2024), Lambourn (2025) and Benvenuto Cellini (2026). The only other jockey to have recorded multiple wins in the Irish Derby is William Buick (2 wins). Two jockeys have not had the best of times over the last 20 renewals in the Irish Derby. Wayne Lordan has ridden 10 runners in the race without recording any wins, whilst Declan McDonogh has ridden 10 without a winner.
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 | 16-4-10 | +17.00 | +18.60 |
| Ryan Moore | 14-4-9 | -5.64 | -4.09 |
| William Buick | 6-2-3 | +0.91 | +0.85 |
| Colin Keane | 4-1-1 | -1.62 | -2.17 |
| Declan McDonogh | 10-0-1 | -10.00 | -1.50 |
| Wayne Lordan | 10-0-2 | -10.00 | -7.20 |
| Ronan Whelan | 6-0-3 | -6.00 | +0.20 |
| Gavin Ryan | 4-0-2 | -4.00 | +1.60 |
| Sean Levey | 4-0-0 | -4.00 | -4.00 |
| Chris Hayes | 4-0-0 | -4.00 | -4.00 |
2027 Irish Derby Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): 3, 3, 1, 4, 4, 1, 5, 1, 1, 1, 3, 3, 2, 1, 10, (1, 4), 1, 3, 1, 1
The percentage shown is the proportion 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 (65%) - Highest Won is not LST/Cl2/Cl4-5
- 20 / 20 (66%) - Within the first 6 of the market
- 20 / 20 (71%) - No bigger than 67/10 (Career Win)
- 20 / 20 (72%) - Ran in 1 - 1 races (30 Days)
- 20 / 20 (72%) - Held an OR of 103+
- 20 / 20 (74%) - Furthest ran 1m2½f - 1m6f
- 20 / 20 (74%) - Not in a Cl2/Cl4-5 (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (76%) - Achieved an RPR of 104+ (Season)
- 20 / 20 (76%) - No bigger than 13/2 (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (77%) - Achieved a TS of 77+ (Season)
- 20 / 20 (79%) - Off a break of 8 - 29 days
- 20 / 20 (79%) - Carried 124 - 132lbs (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (79%) - No bigger than 33/1
- 20 / 20 (79%) - Ran in 4 - 8 races (Career)
- 20 / 20 (82%) - Achieved a TS of 81+ (Career)
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
2027 Irish Derby Runners & Shortlist
The runners and the final trends shortlist for the 2027 renewal of the Irish Derby will be added once the final declarations are confirmed, which are usually 48 hours before the race.
Irish Derby Trend Analysis
✅ The trend factor, which has produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +16.18, is when runners had 3 wins in the past year.
❌ 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 0-38.
Here are the most recent winning draws, along with the further placings in brackets:
- 2026: Winner in 8 (6,1) [8 Runners]
- 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]
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 male runners having produced a total of 20 winners from a total of 181 runners, while 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)
- Frankel (3 Wins)
- Montjeu (3 Wins)
- Camelot (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 7 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. Whilst we wait for the 2027 Irish Derby, remember you can get daily racing predictions from the top racing tipsters on the best racing tipsters page.
Route to the Irish Derby
Many trainers target races as preparation for the Irish Derby. These are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2026 - Benvenuto Cellini Epsom - VOI of 14 (1/1) | Epsom Derby |
| 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 |
Article Contributor Information
We are fortunate to have an excellent team of specialists and experts at OLBG. Contributing to the creation and maintenance of this Irish Derby Preview are Andy and James. They both work on the Horse Racing Tips team, overseeing the tipsters and managing the tip settlement, while also creating and managing all the horse racing event previews for Flat racing.
James Banting
Expert Guide
Andy Powell
Expert Guide
Other Principal races at Curragh Racecourse
Here are some other notable races at the Curragh racecourse throughout the racing season that you may be interested in.
Races in March
Races in April
Races in May (Irish Guineas Festival)
Races in June
Races in July
Races in August
Races in September (Irish Champions Festival)
- Blandford Stakes
- Bold Lad Sprint Handicap
- Flying Five Stakes
- Irish St Leger
- Moyglare Stud Stakes
- National Stakes
- Northfields Handicap
