Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien holds the record for the most victories in the Derby with ten successes. The Ballydoyle man has prevailed in each of the last two renewals of the race, three with Auguste Rodin (2023) and City of Troy (2024) respectively.
O’Brien will be plotting win number 11 in 2025, and based on his entries for the most prestigious Classic in Europe, he has a great chance of continuing his dominance in the race at Epsom.
The Lion in Winter Stood Out As a Two-Year-Old
Arguably, the most impressive two-year-old in the UK and Ireland last season was the unbeaten The Lion In Winter. O’Brien’s colt is the 7/2 favourite in the bet on horse racing market for the 2025 Derby.
The Lion In Winter has been one of the leading horse racing tips for the 1m4f contest ever since he made a winning debut at the Curragh. He went into that race with a big reputation, and the son of Derby winner Sea The Stars lived up to the hype.
He's exciting!
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) August 21, 2024
Sea The Stars colt The Lion In Winter remains unbeaten in the £165,000 @Tattersalls1766 Acomb Stakes for Ryan Moore and Aidan O'Brien @yorkracecourse pic.twitter.com/4H3kmftV8k
In his first appearance in the UK, The Lion In Winter stepped up in class to win the Group Three Acomb Stakes at York’s Ebor Meeting last August. That proved to be the final run of his two-year-old campaign.
The Lion In Winter’s breeding suggests he will improve once he steps up in distance. O’Brien is likely to give his horse one final run before the Derby, and that may come in the Dante Stakes at York in the middle of May.
Twain is Already a Group One Winner
Two from two! Twain remains unbeaten in the Group 1 Criterium International for Ryan Moore and Aidan O'Brien… pic.twitter.com/hC4MblB8hL
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) October 27, 2024
Unlike most of the runners in the Derby field, Twain is already a Group One winner. O’Brien’s colt won the Critérium International at Saint-Cloud back in October. That victory came over the distance of 1m, in which he beat his stablemate Mount Kilimanjaro.
Twain was late to make his debut for O’Brien last season. His opening run came in October at Leopardstown. He prevailed by just over six lengths in an eye-catching opening performance at the Irish track.
The son of Wootton Bassett also has an entry in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket this season. O’Brien’s runner could run in both British Classics, and victory in the opening race would give primary stable jockey, Ryan Moore, a dilemma about which horse he rides at Epsom in the Derby.
Delacroix Not Short of Experience
With six runs as a two-year-old, Delacroix gained a lot of experience on the track last season for O’Brien. He picked up three wins, including group successes at Newmarket and Leopardstown in the Autumn Stakes and Ballysax Stakes respectively.
The Dubawi colt’s latest win came over the distance of 1m2f, and he ran on strongly at the back end of that contest, which bodes well for the Derby. Like The Lion In Winter, he has an entry in the Dante Stakes at York, while the Irish Derby is also an option for him this season at the Curragh.
The 2025 Derby takes place on Saturday, the 7th of June. It will be the 246th renewal of the British Classic.
