Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby
Group 1, Curragh 15:00 €1,250,000 guaranteed, 3yo only, 1m, 4f
Tweet Sunday 28th June 2026

Maltese Cross could be given another opportunity to secure Classic glory after his admirable runner-up effort in the Betfred Derby, with William Haggas considering either the Irish Derby or the Grand Prix de Paris as his next target.

The son of  Sea The Stars produced a brave and honest performance at Epsom, chasing home Aidan O’Brien’s Christmas Day to claim second place in the premier Classic and enhance his growing reputation among the leading middle-distance three-year-olds.

Haggas had hoped to mark the 30th anniversary of his first Derby runner, Shaamit, who won the race in 1996, with another triumph in the blue riband event. While victory proved elusive, the Newmarket trainer was left encouraged by the way Maltese Cross acquitted himself under demanding conditions.

“I thought he ran a very good, solid, genuine race,” Haggas told the Press Association.

“I couldn’t see an excuse and thought the winner was very good on the day, but I thought Maltese Cross ran with great credit and we’ll have some fun with him.

“The next move is important and the Irish Derby is only three weeks away and I did think he had a hard race at Epsom.

“He also has the option of the Grand Prix de Paris and he has French premiums, so that would an obvious one being a little bit later and could be more likely than the Irish Derby, but I can’t rule anything in or out yet.”

The Grand Prix de Paris at ParisLongchamp would provide additional recovery time, with the Group One contest staged on July 14, while the Irish Derby at the Curragh comes just three weeks after Epsom on June 28.

However, Maltese Cross's earlier success in the Lingfield Derby Trial has created an attractive incentive should connections decide to head to Ireland.

Haggas explained: “He would have to be supplemented for Ireland, but if you win the Lingfield Derby Trial and then finish in the first four in the English Derby then you get a free entry into the Irish Derby.

“If we supplement him we get our money back so effectively it won’t cost us anything which is obviously very attractive.

“The Irish Derby would be very much in calculations and it would be that or Paris if he is OK. Ireland would not cost us anything, but Paris gives us that bit more time.”

One of the most encouraging aspects of Maltese Cross’s Derby performance was the way he handled the rain-softened ground, conditions that had previously been considered a potential concern.

His ability to cope with testing going has broadened his options considerably for the remainder of the campaign and left Haggas reassessing earlier assumptions about his preferred conditions.

“I’ve always thought he was a top of the ground horse and such a fluent mover, but I couldn’t say the ground was an excuse and I think he went through it perfectly fine and coped with it.

“That’s a plus going forward and you could argue if he’s finished second in the Derby on soft ground he may want soft ground and he may well cope with it better than I thought.

“That was the first time he had encountered it since his debut and he handled it very well, and it could just be the case he’s one of those horses who doesn’t mind anything.”

Whether he heads to the Curragh or ParisLongchamp, Maltese Cross has emerged from Epsom with his reputation enhanced and appears poised to remain a major player in the top middle-distance races for the rest of the season.

Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby (Group 1)
€1,250,000 guaranteed, 3yo only, 1m 4f, Class 1
56 remaining entries
Going:

(Form as of June 07)