Group 1 race
Derby Stakes
The Derby at Epsom, 1821 by Théodore Géricault (1791–1824)
Location	Epsom Downs Racecourse Epsom, England
Inaugurated	1780
Race type	Thoroughbred - Flat race
Sponsor	Vodafone
Website	epsomdowns.co.uk
Race information
Distance	1 mile 4 furlongs 10 yards (2,423 metres)
Track	Turf, left-handed
Qualification	Three-year-olds excluding geldings
Weight	9 st 0 lb Allowances 5 lb for fillies
Purse	£1,391,873 (2008) Distribution 1st: 57. Théodore Géricault ( September 26, 1791 &ndash January 26, 1824) was an important French painter and lithographer known for Epsom Downs is a grade-one Hippodrome near Epsom, Surrey, England. See also Epsom New Hampshire, and Epsom New Zealand. For the chemical compound see Epsom salts. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The Thoroughbred is a horse breed Flat racing is a term commonly used to denote a form of Horse racing which is run over a level track at a predetermined distance Vodafone is a Mobile network operator headquartered in Berkshire, England, UK. Grass is the common word that generally describes Monocotyledonous green Plants The family Gramineae ( Poaceae) are the "true grasses" and include A gelding is a castrated animal &mdash in English the term specifically refers to a castrated male Horse or other Equine such as a Donkey The stone is a unit of Weight. It is part of the Imperial system of weights and measures used in the British Isles, and formerly used in most The pound or pound-mass (abbreviation lb, lbm, or sometimes in the United States #) is a unit of Mass A filly is a young Female Horse too young to be called a mare. The Pound Sterling ( symbol £; ISO code: GBP) subdivided into 100 pence (singular penny) is the Currency 66%, 2nd: 21. 85% 3rd: 10. 94%, 4th: 5. 45% 5th: 2. 73%, 6th: 1. 37%

Derby, The Paddock, 1892 print of The Prince of Wales looking surprisingly slim at Epsom for the classic flat race

Grandstand building, 1830s.

Isinglass Wins The Derby, the form horse of 1893 romps home in that year's classic Epsom Derby

Henry Dorling, clerk of the course from 1839, photograph taken in the 1860s

The Derby Stakes, known colloquially as The Derby or internationally as the Epsom Derby, is considered one of the most prestigious flat thoroughbred horse races in the world. Isinglass (1890-1911 was a British Thoroughbred racehorse who dominated during his time in racing and won the English Triple Crown. Thoroughbred horse racing is a worldwide Sport and Industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred Horses It is governed by different national The race takes place each year on the first weekend in June at Epsom Downs Racecourse, Epsom, Surrey, England. Epsom Downs is a grade-one Hippodrome near Epsom, Surrey, England. See also Epsom New Hampshire, and Epsom New Zealand. For the chemical compound see Epsom salts. Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland

The Derby (pronounced "dar-bee" ) is one of the five British Classic Races and is the second leg of the English Triple Crown, preceded by the 2,000 Guineas and followed by the St. Leger. In Horse racing in Great Britain, The Classics are a series of horse races run over the flat (i The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (although sometimes shortened to Triple Crown, the full name is used to avoid possible confusion with other sports consists of three The 2000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in the United Kingdom open to three-year-old Thoroughbred colts and The St Leger Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in the United Kingdom open to three-year-old Thoroughbred colts and

It is a Group 1 race for three-year-old colts and fillies, although the latter have rarely participated in recent years. Conditions races are horse races where the weights carried by the runners are laid down by the conditions attached to the race A colt is a young Male Horse, under the age of four However in olden days the word 'colt' referred to any young or infant horse regardless of gender A filly is a young Female Horse too young to be called a mare. The equivalent race for fillies only is the Oaks, and for older horses the Coronation Cup, both run over the same course and distance. The Oaks Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in the United Kingdom open to three-year-old Thoroughbred fillies. This article is about the horse race at Epsom - for details on the football competition played in 1953 see Coronation Cup (football

Many Derby contenders are prepared for the race by running in one or more of the recognised Derby Trials. Trial races for the Epsom Derby are horse races during April and May which are contested by three-year-olds likely to run in the Epsom Derby in early June Derby winners will often go on to compete for the big international races later in the season, such as the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in France and the Breeders' Cup in the United States. The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to Thoroughbreds which are three-years-old or above This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Grade I Thoroughbred horse races operated by Breeders' Cup Limited a company formed in 1982 The United States of America —commonly referred to as the

Origins

The first recorded race took place in 1661. The Derby originated at a celebration following the first running of the Epsom Oaks in 1779. The Oaks Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in the United Kingdom open to three-year-old Thoroughbred fillies. Edward Smith-Stanley, 12th Earl of Derby (whose horse Bridget had been victorious in the race) and Sir Charles Bunbury flipped a coin and whoever won the toss was to have the race named after him. Edward Smith-Stanley 12th Earl of Derby ( 12 December 1752 &ndash 21 October 1834) was a British peer and politician of the late Sir Thomas Charles Bunbury 6th Baronet (May 1740 - 31 March 1821) was a British politician and the first husband of Lady Sarah Lennox. [1] Despite losing the toss Sir Charles was to claim victory with his horse Diomed in the inaugural running the following year on May 4, 1780 collecting prize money of £1,065 15s. For the Greek hero of this name see Diomed. Diomed, born in 1777 was an English -bred Thoroughbred Race horse. Events 1256 - The Augustinian monastic order is constituted at the Lecceto Monastery when Pope Alexander IV Year 1780 ( MDCCLXXX) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a The Earl achieved his first success in the race in 1787 with Sir Peter Teazle. Earl was the Anglo-Saxon form and jarl the Scandinavian form of a title meaning " Chieftain " and referring especially to chieftains Sir Peter Teazle (1787-August 18 1811 was an excellent Thoroughbred racehorse as well as an important stud who carried on the line of Herod.

The first four runnings of the race were over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 m) but this was amended in 1784 to the current distance of 1 mile 4 furlongs (2,414 m). A furlong is a measure of Distance in Imperial units and US customary units. As a result of measurement, official distance was changed to 1 mile 4 furlongs and 10 yards (2,423 m) in 1991.

Records

• Most successful jockey - Lester Piggott, 9 wins
• Most successful trainers - Robert Robson, John Porter and Fred Darling, 7 wins
• Most successful owners - 3rd Earl of Egremont and Aga Khan III, 5 wins
• Fastest winning time (at Epsom) - 2m 32. Lester Keith Piggott (born 5 November 1935) is a retired English Jockey, popularly known as "The Long Fellow" John Porter (1838-1922 was an English Thoroughbred Flat racing trainer whose horses won the English Triple Crown three times Frederick Darling (1884-1953 was a British Thoroughbred racehorse trainer who trained a record-equalling seven English Derby winners George O'Brien Wyndham 3rd Earl of Egremont ( 18 December 1751 &ndash 11 November 1837) was a British peer. Sultan Mahommed Shah Aga Khan III, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, GCVO, PC ( November 2, 1877 &ndash July 11, 31s, Lammtarra (1995)
• Widest winning margin - 10 lengths, Shergar (1981)
• Longest odds winners - Jeddah (1898), Signorinetta (1908), Aboyeur (1913), 100/1
• Shortest odds winner - Ladas (1894), 2/9
• Most runners - 34 (1862)
• Fewest runners - 4 (1794)

Notes

Reference: www.racingbetter.co.uk - "50 Derby Facts". Lammtarra was an undefeated thoroughbred Racehorse who won three Group One races in 1995 and was voted the Cartier Three-Year-Old European Champion Shergar (born 1978. Sire Great Nephew Dam Sharmeen was an acclaimed Racehorse, and winner of the 1981 Epsom Derby by a record 10 lengths

• 1805 - One of the horses was brought down by a spectator.
• 1838 - Amato never raced before or after winning the Derby.
• 1844 - The original winner Running Rein was disqualified as he was actually an ineligible four-year-old horse named Maccabeus.
• 1881 - Iroquois became the first American-bred to win a leg of the British triple crown. Iroquois (1878-1899 was the first American -bred Thoroughbred Race horse to win the prestigious Epsom Derby at Epsom Downs Racecourse
• 1884 - The race finished with a dead-heat between Harvester and St. Gatien.
• 1887 - Merry Hampton is the most recent horse to win the Derby with no previous victories.
• 1894 - The winner was owned by the Prime Minister at the time, the 5th Earl of Rosebery. The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the political leader of the United Kingdom Archibald Philip Primrose 5th Earl of Rosebery, KG, PC (7 May 1847 &ndash 21 May 1929 was a British Liberal Statesman and
• 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'd previously won twice as Prince of Wales. Prince of Wales (Tywysog Cymru is a title traditionally granted to the Heir Apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom (and formerly the Kingdom
• 1913 - The suffragette Emily Davison was killed after throwing herself in front of King George V's horse, Anmer. Suffragette is a term originally coined by the Daily Mail newspaper as a derogatory label for the more radical and Militant members of the Emily Wilding Davison ( October 11 1872 &ndash June 8 1913) was an activist for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom.
• 1913 - The 6/4 favourite Craganour, owned by Charles B. Ismay, and brother of J. Bruce Ismay of the Titanic, was controversially disqualified and the race was awarded to the 100/1 outsider Aboyeur. Joseph Bruce Ismay ( 12 December 1862 &ndash 17 October 1937) was an English businessman who served as Managing Director of the Construction The Titanic was a White Star Line ocean liner built at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, Ireland
• 1916 - Fifinella, who also won the Oaks, is the most recent of 6 fillies to win the race. Fifinella (1913 - not found was a British Thoroughbred who is the last racehorse to ever win both the Epsom Derby and Epsom Oaks The Oaks Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in the United Kingdom open to three-year-old Thoroughbred fillies. Both victories were at Newmarket where the meeting was transferred during World War I. The town of Newmarket, in Suffolk, England, is the headquarters of British horseracing, home to the largest cluster of training yards in the country and World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All
• 1921 - The winner Humorist died two weeks after the race.
• 1927 - The first Derby to be broadcast by the BBC.
• 1932 - April the Fifth is the most recent winner trained at Epsom. April the Fifth ( 1929 - 1954) was a Thoroughbred racehorse who was bred and trained in England. See also Epsom New Hampshire, and Epsom New Zealand. For the chemical compound see Epsom salts.
• 1946 - Airborne is the most recent of 4 grey horses to win the Derby.
• 1953 - Pinza was the first winner in the race for the jockey Sir Gordon Richards, after 27 unsuccessful attempts. Sir Gordon Richards ( May 5 1904 - November 10 1988) was an English Jockey, and is usually considered the world's greatest
• 1989 - The runner-up Terimon is the longest-priced horse to finish placed in the Derby, at odds of 500/1.
• 1996 - Alex Greaves became the first (and so far only) lady jockey to ride in the race. She finished last on the filly Portuguese Lil.
• 1998 - The most recent filly to take part, the 1,000 Guineas winner Cape Verdi, started as 11/4 favourite but could only finish 9th.
• 2006 - Martin Dwyer's winning ride on Sir Percy subsequently won the Lester Award for "Flat Ride of the Year". Martin Dwyer (born June 28, 1975 in Aintree, Liverpool) is an English Derby winning Flat racing Jockey Sir Percy is a Race horse foaled on January 27, 2003, winner of the 2006 Epsom Derby. The Lesters is an annual award ceremony for Jockeys in Great Britain.

• Six fillies have won the Derby – Eleanor (1801), Blink Bonny (1857), Shotover (1882), Signorinetta (1908), Tagalie (1912) and Fifinella (1916). Fifinella (1913 - not found was a British Thoroughbred who is the last racehorse to ever win both the Epsom Derby and Epsom Oaks
• From 1915 to 1918 the race took place at Newmarket and was called the New Derby Stakes. The town of Newmarket, in Suffolk, England, is the headquarters of British horseracing, home to the largest cluster of training yards in the country and

Winners

* Winning margins are shown in lengths or shorter (dh = dead-heat; shd = short-head; hd = head; snk = short-neck; nk = neck). A length is a Unit of measurement used in Horse racing. It refers to the length of a horse from nose to tail approximately 8 feet and is used to describe the distance
* The 1828 race finished in a dead-heat, but Cadland won a run-off against The Colonel by ½ length.
* The 1844 and 1913 winners were awarded victory after the disqualification of the first-placed horse.

References

• PedigreeQuery.com
• Racing Post:
  • 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997
  • 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007
  • 2008
• horseracinghistory.co.uk
• tbheritage.com
• Randall, John; Morris, Tony (1985). The Racing Post is a British daily Horse racing, Greyhound racing and Sports betting Newspaper. Horse Racing The Records. Guinness Superlatives Ltd. ISBN 0851124461.  

See also

• Horseracing in Great Britain
• List of British flat horse races
• Trial races for the Epsom Derby