Your Essential Guide to Betting on the 2025 Irish Derby

The Irish Derby at the Curragh is one of the most treasured races on the calendar in the Emerald Isle, as the best three-year-old colts from the home team are routinely joined by their peers from Britain to contest one of Europe's most celebrated Classics.

It is of course a major betting medium and punters are attracted to the superlative action on the turf at the Co Kildare home of Irish Flat racing.

With the 2025 Irish Derby just around the corner, we are marking your card with some key factors and ideas to inform your betting strategy for the Curragh's big race this weekend.

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Group-race class

Winning the Irish Derby takes a quality performance and proven form in Group-race company is often a key pointer. Nine of the previous 12 winners had previously won at least once in Group-race company before landing this Curragh Classic.

Recent form

Being ready, fit and able for the Curragh test should be an identifiable trait in the key contenders. All of the last 12 winners had won at least one race and had a minimum of four runs under their belts. Six of those last dozen winners had scored last time out before this race, while all 12 had run within four weeks of the Irish Derby.

Epsom runners

In 2023 Auguste Rodin became the 19th horse in history to complete the Epsom-Curragh Derby double. Horses that have won at Epsom and turn up here must be feared but also those that ran well in defeat in the Epsom Classic.

Three of the past four editions of the race have been won by the horse who finished third at Epsom - Hurricane Lane, Westover and Los Angeles - which is perhaps a good omen for Tennessee Stud

The one-two-three from the 2025 Epsom Derby — Lambourn Lazy Griff and Tennessee Stud — are all set to run at the Curragh.

Trial races

There are some key Derby trials run in Ireland, namely at Leopardstown and Naas, that can prove to be excellent pointers to picking the winner. There are also key races at Newbury, Chester, Lingfield and York in the UK worth monitoring. Pride Of Arras impressively won York's Dante in May for Ralph Beckett and while he didn't fire at Epsom, not much went right for him that afternoon and it could pay to forgive him.

Ratings

Picking your Irish Derby bets should also involve due consideration to the ratings. Nine of the last 12 Curragh winners were officially rated 111 or higher before taking their place in this contest.

Curragh form

Six Irish derby winners in the last 12 had run previously at the Curragh, with four of the sextet already having had a win behind them at the Kildare circuit.

Getting the trip

Ten of the last 12 winners had at least one run at the Derby trip before contesting this race, and four had already scored over 1m4f. Proven stamina is another solid factor to consider for betting purposes.

Aidan O'Brien

The Ballydoyle maestro has won the Irish Derby a record 16 times since 1997, including the previous two renewals with Auguste Rodin and Los Angeles.

O'Brien tends to have multiple Derby contenders and, at the time of writing, he is responsible for five of the remaining 10 possible runners.

He has previously won seven in a row (2006-2012) but that is the only sequence of more than two in succession — a stat he can alter if he wins in 2025.