Constitution River powers O'Brien to back-to-back Prix du Jockey Club wins
Constitution River overcame stall 15 at Chantilly and turned Aidan O'Brien's French Derby sweep into a live shot at a cross-channel Classic treble.
Aidan O'Brien did not just win the Prix du Jockey Club again at Chantilly. He put himself in position for something far bigger, with Constitution River’s success on Sunday turning a French Derby victory into the middle leg of a possible Classic treble across France, Britain and Ireland.
The 186th running of the Qatar Prix du Jockey Club drew 5,300 spectators, and the race quickly became an O'Brien exhibition. Constitution River, trapped in stall 15 of 16, still found a way through, while O'Brien filled the first three places with Hawk Mountain second and Montreal third. The fourth horse home, A Boy Named Susie, was trained by Donnacha O'Brien, giving the family another foothold in the finish. It was O'Brien’s third win in the Prix du Jockey Club and his fifth Classic success of the 2026 campaign.
The key was not just quality, but execution. O'Brien said the plan had been carefully worked out after the wide draw, with his other jockeys helping force the tempo before Ryan Moore angled Constitution River into position for the run to the straight. Moore said the colt was still “a baby” and “very green,” but handled the difficult draw and the shock of going right-handed at Chantilly. He also felt the horse had more in hand, saying Constitution River could stay further than the trip that carried him to victory.
That matters because Constitution River is not a finished product. He is by Wootton Bassett, was bred in France by Gérard Laboureau at Haras du Cadran in Normandy, and had already won the Dee Stakes at Chester before being sent to France. The profile is the one O'Brien keeps mining in Classic races: scope, pace and enough adaptability to survive any test the calendar throws at him.
The next decision is the one that will shape the European summer. O'Brien suggested Constitution River may be given time before his next start, with the Eclipse and the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe both mentioned as possible targets. Christophe Soumillon called the clean sweep an “exceptional achievement,” and it looked like one from the trackside as O'Brien’s operation took control of the French Derby and left the rest of the Classic season asking one question: who is going to beat this colt when the races get bigger?
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