The Curragh will host the running of the second Irish classic of the season this weekend, as the 2025 Irish Derby Festival commences.
Three days of elite racing in County Kildare are highlighted by one of the most hotly anticipated events of the Irish sporting calendar – the Irish Derby.
It is the Irish equivalent of the Derby Stakes at Epsom, usually held around four weeks afterwards.
One mile and four furlongs is the distance that challenges must conquer to write themselves into the ‘history book’ and win a share of prize money worth one million euros.
This year’s renewal will see leading-Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien look to win his 17th Irish Derby – his third consecutively.
Lambourn
Spearheading a team of Ballydoyle runners set to embark on Curragh is Lambourn, winner of the Derby Stakes.
He is the (4/5) favourite after making virtually all the running to claim his trainer’s 11th win in the race, defeating shorter priced stablemates Delacrioix and The Lion In Winter as well as other reopposing rivals he will likely take on this weekend.
On future plans for the winner, O’Brien told Racing TV: “The lads (owners) will make that decision and we’ll see how he is when he gets back cantering in 10 days.
“It looks like he’s an Irish Derby horse and it looks like the Curragh would really suit him.”
His Derby win added to his victory in the Chester Vase, which was part of a festival – similar to Epsom – where his trainer took a clean sweep of wins in the feature events.
Opposing a Derby-double are a host of challengers, including stablemates Tennessee Stud and Puppet Master, as well as Lazy Griff – who finished second to Lambourn at Chester and Epsom.
Puppet Master
The former also finished ahead of Lambourn at this course, in a Group Two race, in September, when finishing second to eventual Irish 2000 Guineas third Hotazhell.
However, that form was overturned when he finished third in the Epsom Derby – his second run of the season after he filled the same position behind Delacroix in the Derby trial, at Leopardstown.
He is the second favourite, at 5/2.
Puppet Master is due to have his third run of the season having been absent since taking victory in Lingfield‘s Derby trial.
Prior to that Derby trial win, he had placed fourth (behind Lambourn and Delacroix) when all three horses were making their seasonal reappearance.
Priced at 12/1 to win this race, he – alongside Lazy Griff (14/1) – offers value for punters looking at the each-way market.
Pride Of Arras put in a very disappointing performance at Epsom when he was beaten 50 lengths and finished last but one in the Derby.
Other Entrants
Prior to the race, trainer Ralph Beckett’s horse had been the subject of a huge ante-post gamble in which he shortened from a huge 50/1 to 4/1 prompted by his win in York’s Dante Stakes.
After the race, Beckett told Racing TV: “He’s come out of it well and I’d be keen to go to the Irish Derby with him, that would suit him. We’ll see whether we can make that happen.”
The Dante winner is 7/1 to take the Derby winning title back to British soil for the first time since his trainer won it in 2023 – with the Juddomonte-owned Westover.
Another prominent in the market (8/1) is Green Impact, who arrives having raced twice since his Irish Group Two win last year.
Trainer John Harrington has seen Green Impact finish sixth in the 2000 Guineas on his seasonal reappearance, before winning a listed race back on home turf.
The race is due off at 4:10pm on Sunday, June 29 and is sure to be a worthy highlight of a festival celebrating its 160th anniversary.
Racing TV will broadcast every race live for subscribers, whilst ITV will show the showpiece – for free – on terrestrial TV.
READ MORE: Irish Derby 2025 – Dates, how to watch on TV, trainers and jockeys to watch
