Derby (horse race)

See also: Derby (disambiguation)

The start of the 2009 Hong Kong Derby.

A derby (UK: /ˈdɑːrbi/ DAR-bee, US: /ˈdɜːrbi/ DUR-bee) is a type of horse race named after the Derby Stakes run at Epsom Downs Racecourse in England.[1] That was in turn named after Edward Smith-Stanley, 12th Earl of Derby, who inaugurated the race in 1780.[2] Perhaps the best-known example after the original is the Kentucky Derby in the United States.[3][4]

Traditionally, the term "derby" is used strictly to refer to races restricted to three-year-olds,[citation needed] as the English and U.S. Triple Crown races all are. The most notable exceptions to this rule are the Hong Kong Derby and Singapore Derby, restricted to four-year-old Thoroughbreds, and the Canadian Pacing Derby, an annual harness race for "aged pacers" (Standardbreds) four years old and up.[citation needed]

In Scandinavian harness racing Derby is restricted to four-year-olds. Exception is the Finnhorse Derby, which is restricted to five-year-olds.

Name | Place | Distance | Restrictions | First
race | Day | Notes

|
|
|
|
|
|

American Derby | Arlington Park, Arlington Heights, Illinois, USA[t 1] | 1+3⁄16 miles (1900 m)[t 2] |  | 1884[5] |  |
Australian Derby (also known as AJC Derby) | Randwick Racecourse, Sydney | 2400 metres
(1.5 miles) | 3 yr olds | 1861 | Late March or early April |
Bangalore Derby[6] | Bangalore Turf Club | 2,000 metres | 4 yr olds & up |  | Mid July |
Danish Derby (Bet25 Derby, The Macallan Derby)  | Klampenborg Galopbane | 2400 metres  | 3 yr olds  | 1910  | 1st Saturday in August  |
Epsom Derby (also known as The Derby, Derby Stakes and the English Derby) | Epsom Downs Racecourse, England | 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 10 yards
(2423 metres) | 3 yr olds colts and fillies | 1780 | 1st Saturday in June[t 3] |
French Derby (more often known as Prix du Jockey Club) | Chantilly Racecourse | 2100 metres
(1.30 miles; 10.44 furlongs) | 3 yr olds colts and fillies | 1836 | Early June |
German Derby (Deutsches Derby) | Horner Rennbahn, Hamburg | 2,400 metres (1.5 miles) | 3 yr olds colts and fillies | 1869 | Early July |
Hong Kong Derby | Sha Tin Racecourse | 2,000 metres | 4 yr olds | 1873 | mid March |
Hungarian Derby (Magyar Derby) | Kincsem Park, Budapest | 2,400 metres | 3 yr olds | 1921 | Early July |
Italian Derby (Derby Italiano) | Capannelle Racecourse | 2200 |  | 1884 |  |
Indian Derby | Mahalaxmi Racecourse, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India | 2,400 metres | 4 yr olds | 1943 | 1st Sunday in Feb. |
Irish Derby | The Curragh, County Kildare, Ireland | 1+1⁄2 miles (2.4 km) | 3 yr olds | 1866 | Last Sunday in June[t 4] |
Kentucky Derby | Churchill Downs, Louisville, Kentucky, USA | 1+1⁄4 miles (2 km) | 3 yr olds | 1875 | 1st Saturday in May |
New Zealand Derby | Ellerslie Racecourse, Auckland | 2400 metres
(1.5 miles; 12 furlongs) | 3yr olds | 1860 | 1st Saturday in March |
Queensland Derby | Eagle Farm Racecourse, Brisbane | 2400 metres
(1.5 miles; 12 furlongs) | 3yr olds | 1868 | June |
Romanian Derby (Derby Român) | Ploiești Hippodrome | 2,400 metres | 3 yr olds colts and fillies | 1875 | June |
Singapore Derby | Kranji Racecourse | 1,800 metres | 4 yr olds | 1880 | Mid July | Final one to be run in 2024
Swedish Trotting Derby (Svenskt Travderby) | Jägersro Racetrack, Malmö | 2640 metres (1.64 mi; 13.12 furlongs) | 4yr olds | 1928 | 1st Sunday in September |
Tokyo Yushun
Japanese Derby | Tokyo Racecourse | 2,400 metres | 3 yr olds colts and fillies | 1932 | late May or Early June | Currently the richest Derby.
Victoria Derby | Flemington Racecourse | 2,500 metres | 3 yr olds | 1855 |  |
WATC Derby | Ascot Racecourse, Perth | 2,400 metres | 3yr olds | 1888 | New Years Day or nearby Saturday |
Notes:

1. ^ Location has varied
2. ^ Distance has varied
3. ^ Before 1995, 1st Wednesday in June
4. ^ Current race date. Dates have varied over time, but have always been in late June or early July.

Other

* American Classic Races
* British Classic Races
* French Classic Races
* Thoroughbred horse racing
* Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Reeves 1997, p.134.
2. ^ Vesey 2003, p. 135.
3. ^ Freeman 1997, p. 68.
4. ^ Schreifer & Sivell 1996, p. K-1.
5. ^ Only run once between 1905 and 1925.
6. ^ Sun Kingdom wins Bangalore Derby Retrieved 2011-2-6

## References

[edit]

* Ashok, Kalyan (11 July 2010), "Derby getting bigger and better", The Hindu
* Freeman, Morton S. (1997), A new dictionary of eponyms (Illustrated ed.), Oxford University Press US, ISBN 0-19-509354-2
* Reeves, Richard Stone (1997), Crown jewels of thoroughbred racing: original paintings (Illustrated ed.), Eclipse Press, ISBN 0-939049-90-2
* Schreifer, Kirk; Sivell, John (1996), America From Apple Pie To Ziegfeld Follies Book One: People, vol. 1 (Illustrated ed.), Full Blast Productions, ISBN 1-895451-17-5
* Vesey, Barbara (2003), The Hidden Places of East Anglia: Including Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire (7 ed.), Travel Publishing, ISBN 1-902007-91-3

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