Derby, the Paddock (1892)Isinglass wins the Derby (1893)
TheDerby Stakes, also known as theDerby or theEpsom Derby, is aGroup 1 flathorse race in England open to three-year-oldcolts andfillies. It is run atEpsom Downs Racecourse inSurrey on the first Saturday of June each year, over a distance of one mile, fourfurlongs and 10 yards (2,423 metres), or about 1½ miles.[1] It was first run in 1780.
It is Britain's richest flat horse race, and the most prestigious of the fiveClassics. It is sometimes referred to as the "Blue Riband" of the turf. The race serves as the middle leg of the historically significantTriple Crown of British horse racing, preceded by the2000 Guineas and followed by theSt Leger, although the feat of winning all three is rarely attempted in the modern era due to changing priorities in racing and breeding, and the demands it places on horses.
The name "Derby" (deriving from the sponsorship of theEarl of Derby) has been borrowed many times, notably by theKentucky Derby in the United States, and to describe many other key racing and sporting events. The term "Epsom Derby" is often used in theUnited States and elsewhere, in order to differentiate The Derby from other races such as theIrish Derby orGerman Derby.[2] The Derby run at Epsom is usually referred to as "the Derby" in Great Britain. It is one of Britain's great national sporting events[3] and has a large worldwide TV audience.[4]
The Derby originated at a celebration following the first running of theOaks Stakes in 1779. A new race was planned, and it was decided that it should be named after either the host of the party, the12th Earl of Derby, or one of his guests,Sir Charles Bunbury (theBunbury Cup run at Newmarket would later be named in his honour). According to legend the decision was made by the toss of a coin, but it is probable that Bunbury, the Steward of theJockey Club, deferred to his host.[6] The inaugural running of the Derby was held on Thursday 4 May 1780. It was won byDiomed, a colt owned by Sir Charles Bunbury, who collected prize money of £1,065 15s. The first four runnings were contested over the last mile of the old Orbicular course <49>, this extended in line with the Oaks to the current distance of 1½ miles in 1784. Lord Derby achieved his first success in the event in 1787, with a horse calledSir Peter Teazle.
The starting point of the race was moved twice during the 19th century. The first move, suggested byLord George Bentinck, was in 1848, and the second was in 1872. It was discovered in 1991 that the exact length of the race was one mile, four furlongs and 10 yards.[7]
Initially, the Derby was run on a Thursday in late May or early June, depending on when Easter occurred. In 1838 the race was moved to a Wednesday to fit in with the railways'timetables, but still followed the moveable feast of Easter. In the 20th century, the race was run mainly on a Wednesday in late May or early June until 1994, after which it was changed to a Saturday in early June.[8] From 1915 to 1918 (duringWorld War I), it was on a Tuesday, with the race's latest ever date being 31 July 1917.[9] From 1942 to 1945 (duringWorld War II), 1947 to 1950, and in 1953, the race was run on a Saturday.[7] From 1969 to 1994, it was on the first Wednesday in June. From 2003 to at least 2022, it has been on the first Saturday in June, apart from a race on4 July 2020 without spectators, owing toCOVID-19.
The Derby has been run at Epsom in all years except during theworld wars; from 1915 to 1918 and from 1940 to 1945, the Derby was run atNewmarket as the 'New Derby'.
With the race's close association with gambling, the most controversial running of the Epsom Derby took place in 1844. The winner, Running Rein, was disqualified on discovery that a four-year-old imposter, a horse by the name Maccabeus, had been substituted in his place as part of a betting coup.[10]
For many years the Derby was run on a Wednesday or a Thursday and on the day huge crowds would come from London, not only to see the race but to enjoy other entertainment (during some of the 19th century and most of the 20th, Parliament would adjourn to allow members to attend the meeting).[14][15][16]
By the time thatCharles Dickens visited Epsom Downs to view the race in the 1850s, entertainers such as musicians, clowns, and conjurers plied their trades and entertained the crowds; other forms of entertainment included coconut stalls.[17] The crowded meeting was the subject of a painting byWilliam Powell Frith painted in the 1858 and titledThe Derby Day; critics have noted that the foreground of the painting features the entertainment attractions, while the racing is relegated to the margins.[18]
In the 1870s, thesteam-driven rides were introduced. They were located at theTattenham Corner end of the grounds and the fair was on for ten days and entertained hundreds of thousands.[17] During the latter half of the 20th century, Derby Day became less popular and the race was moved from Wednesday to Saturday in 1995 with the hope of reviving high attendance.[14] As the number of people attending the fair dwindled in the face of competition for attention and changing tastes, its length was reduced from 10 days to three or four.[17]
Today, the free-admission Hill still provides a festival atmosphere with a fairground in operation on the Friday and Saturday.[19] The walk-in nature of the Hill typically sees Derby attendances exceed 100,000 spectators, making it one of the largest sporting events in the United Kingdom.[20]
In 2021 and 2022 the race, along with seven other races at the Derby festival, was sponsored byCazoo.[21] Cazoo declined an option to extend their sponsorship[22] and in April 2023 the bookmakerBetfred agreed a three-year deal to sponsor the Derby and Oaks.[23]
Investec was the previous sponsor of the Derby between 2009 and 2020. The race was previously backed byEver Ready (1984–94) andVodafone (1995–2008).[24]
Lester Piggott –Never Say Die (1954), Crepello (1957), St. Paddy (1960), Sir Ivor (1968), Nijinsky (1970), Roberto (1972), Empery (1976), The Minstrel (1977), Teenoso (1983)
Aidan O'Brien –Galileo (2001), High Chaparral (2002), Camelot (2012), Ruler of the World (2013), Australia (2014), Wings of Eagles (2017), Anthony Van Dyck (2019), Serpentine (2020), Auguste Rodin (2023), City Of Troy (2024)
Sue Magnier,Michael Tabor –Galileo (2001), High Chaparral (2002), Pour Moi (2011), Camelot (2012), Ruler Of The World (2013), Australia (2014), Wings of Eagles (2017), Anthony Van Dyck (2019), Serpentine (2020), Auguste Rodin (2023), City Of Troy (2024)
1901: The first year in which a mechanical starting gate was used.
1909: Minoru was the first Derby winner owned by a reigning monarch,King Edward VII, who had previously won twice asPrince of Wales.
1913: The 6/4 favourite Craganour, owned by Charles B. Ismay, brother ofJ. Bruce Ismay of theTitanic, was controversially disqualified, and the race was awarded to the 100/1 outsider Aboyeur. SuffragetteEmily Davison was struck byKing George V's horse, Anmer, she died four days later.
1916:Fifinella, who also wonThe Oaks, is the most recent (as of 2022) of six fillies to win the race. The previous five were Eleanor (1801), Blink Bonny (1857), Shotover (1882), Signorinetta (1908), Tagalie (1912).
1921: The winner Humorist died two weeks after the race.
1946: Airborne is the most recent (as of 2017) of four grey horses to win the Derby.
1953: Pinza was the only winner in the race for the jockeySir Gordon Richards, after 27 unsuccessful attempts.
1960: Although there had been an experimental TV transmission of the race in the early 1930s, regular television coverage of the Derby began this year, initially on bothBBC andITV.
1962: Larkspur wins at odds of 22/1 after seven horses are bought down nearing Tattenham Corner; one horse is killed and four jockeys are detained in hospital.
1967: Starting stalls used for the first time.
1989: The runner-upTerimon is the longest-priced horse to finish placed in the Derby, at odds of 500/1.
1996:Alex Greaves became the first female jockey to ride in the race. She finished last of the 20 runners on the filly Portuguese Lil.[30]
1998: The most recent (as of 2019) filly to take part, the1,000 Guineas winner Cape Verdi, started as 11/4 favourite but could only finish ninth.[32]
2008:Jim Bolger, the trainer of the winnerNew Approach, had left the horse entered for the race "by mistake", having not initially intended to run.[42]
2010:Workforce broke the Epsom track record winning in the time 2m 31.33s previously held byLammtarra who set it in 1995 at 2m 32.31s.[44]
2012:Aidan O'Brien and his 19-year-old sonJoseph became the first father-son/trainer-jockey combination to win the race.[53]Hayley Turner became the second female jockey to ride in the race, on Cavaleiro, finishing last of the nine horses which went to post, the lowest number since 1907.[46]
2014:Aidan O'Brien became the first person to train three consecutive winners of the race.[48]
2017: Ana O'Brien, daughter of Aidan, was the third female jockey to ride in the race, on The Anvil. By finishing 17th of the 18 runners, she became the first woman to beat another runner to the line.[51]
2019: Kevin McCarthy and Michael Church (Official Derby Historian), wrote a 17-page Academic Essay to solve the debated question of "Where did the first Derby start from?" (See www.michaelchurchracingbooks.com).Proving it to be from the Mile Post on the old Orbicular or Cup Course - a few yards from today's running rail. Thereafter, a week before the 2019 Derby, the Epsom management put up a plaque to commemorate the starting place of the first Derby.
^Payne, Christiana (July 2001)."A Day at the Races".The Spectacle of Dress in Victorian Painting. Science Museum. Archived fromthe original on 26 January 2012.
^Foulkes, N. (2010).Gentlemen and Blackguards: Gambling Mania and Plot to Steal the Derby of 1844. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. p. ?.ISBN978-0297844594.
Church, Michael (1997).The Derby Stakes 1780–1997. Racing Post Ltd. pp. 1–608.ISBN189874615X.
Church, Michael (2006).The Derby Stakes - The Complete History - 1780-2006. Raceform Ltd. pp. 1–639.ISBN1-905153-36-8.
Church, Michael (2007).The Derby Chart 1780-2007. Raceform Ltd. pp. 1 A2.
Church, Michael (2016).The Derby Stakes - The Blue Ribbon of the Turf - Revised and updated – 1780–2016. Raceform Ltd. pp. 1–255.ISBN978-1-910498-92-7.
Mortimer, Roger (1973).The History of the Derby Stakes. Michael Joseph. pp. 1–764.
Abelson, Edward; John Tyrrel (1993).The Breedon Book of Horse Racing Records. Breedon Books. pp. 49–56.ISBN1-873626-15-0.
Randall, John; Tony Morris (1985).Horse Racing: The Records. Guinness Superlatives Ltd. pp. 34–43.ISBN0-85112-446-1.
