Christmas Day, Maltese Cross Renew Rivalry In Voltigeur
Six Remain After Causeway Is Withdrawn
Six runners were confirmed for the Gr.2 Great Voltigeur Stakes at York Racecourse on 19 August 2026 after Causeway, trained by Aidan O'Brien, was withdrawn at the six-day confirmation stage, leaving Christmas Day and Maltese Cross to renew the rivalry they contested in the Gr.1 Epsom Derby in June. O'Brien saddles three of the six survivors — Christmas Day, Antigua and Pierre Bonnard — in a race his yard has already won five times.
The Great Voltigeur Stakes is run over 1m4f (1m3f188y) at York for 3YO colts and geldings, off at 18:00 GST (15:00 BST), and carries a first prize of £141,775 (US$188,561) from £53,750 (US$71,488) for second and £26,900 (US$35,777) for third; runners meet at a base weight of 9st 2lb, with penalties of 3lb for a Group Two win and 5lb for a Group One win since the end of the 2025 season, and the going was described as good with light rain forecast, from a maximum field of 20 though only six remain of an original ten entries.
Christmas Day, trained by O'Brien and ridden by Ryan Moore, won the Epsom Derby by two and three-quarter lengths from Maltese Cross before finishing second in the Gr.1 Irish Derby behind stablemate Benvenuto Cellini. Maltese Cross, trained by William Haggas and ridden by Tom Marquand, has since won the Gr.1 Grand Prix de Paris by a head and must carry a 5lb penalty for it at York.
Haggas Accepts Penalty For Leger Bid
“I don't like the 5lb penalty – I think 3lb would have been plenty – but it is what it is and we've got no other choice if we want to run in the Leger or the Arc,” Haggas said. “We need to run in a recognised trial and the Voltigeur is certainly that.”
Haggas added that Maltese Cross has been building through the 2026 season. “It'll be a tough race, especially with his penalty, but he's very well, in good shape and doesn't appear to mind any ground so we're very hopeful,” he said. “He put up his best performance, I thought, last time, so each race he's run in this year has been better than the previous one.”
Pierre Bonnard, ridden by Wayne Lordan, finished third in the Irish Derby, completing a Ballydoyle one-two-three behind Benvenuto Cellini and Christmas Day, and returns without a run since late June. Along with Superior Choice, he receives 5lb from the meeting's two Group One winners under the race's penalty conditions.
O'Brien Fields Three Of Six Runners
Antigua, ridden by Ronan Whelan, is O'Brien's third representative alongside Christmas Day and Pierre Bonnard, a rank outsider of the six that nonetheless adds to the trainer's numerical strength in the race. Superior Choice, trained by John and Thady Gosden and ridden by Shane Foley, is unbeaten in three starts in 2026; the colt, a son of Dubawi out of the Group One-winning mare Loving Dream, most recently won the Glasgow Stakes (Listed) at Hamilton and represents the field's unexposed contender against rivals with deeper Classic form. Andrew Balding's Galiyan, ridden by Oisin Murphy, was runner-up in the Gr.3 Bahrain Trophy Stakes at Newmarket and steps up in grade on the back of that run.
The Great Voltigeur Stakes opens York's Ebor Festival on the same card as the Gr.1 Juddmonte International Stakes, giving the 19 August 2026 meeting a dual focus for connections weighing up autumn targets. Moore, Marquand, Lordan and Foley all retain the rides they had when their horses last ran, with the Epsom form between Christmas Day and Maltese Cross the clearest guide to what follows at York.
Great Voltigeur Stakes (Group Two): 18:00 GST (15:00 BST) | Group Two, Class 1 | FOR 3YO | Thoroughbred | Turf | 1m 3f 188y | £141,775 (US$188,561) guaranteed minimum listed | Rail Position: NA | Track Condition: Good, light rain forecast | Safety Limit: 20 | Track Record: NA | Prize Breakdown: 1st £141,775.00 (US$188,561) | 2nd £53,750.00 (US$71,488) | 3rd £26,900.00 (US$35,777) | 4th £13,400.00 (US$17,822) | 5th £6,725.00 (US$8,944) | 6th £3,375.00 (US$4,489)
Great Voltigeur Stakes (Group 2): Christmas Day (T: Aidan O'Brien / J: Ryan Moore) | Maltese Cross (T: William Haggas / J: Tom Marquand) | Antigua (T: Aidan O'Brien / J: Ronan Whelan) | Galiyan (T: Andrew Balding / J: Oisin Murphy) | Pierre Bonnard (T: Aidan O'Brien / J: Wayne Lordan) | Superior Choice (T: John and Thady Gosden / J: Shane Foley)