Derby (horse race)
A derby (UK /ˈdɑːbɪ/ DAH-bee or US /ˈdɜːrbɪ/ 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, 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.
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[t 2] | 1884[5] | |||
| Australian Derby (also known as AJC Derby) | Randwick Racecourse, Sydney | 2,400 metres | 3 yr olds | 1861 | Late March or early April | |
| Bangalore Derby[6] | 2,400 metres | 4 yr olds & up | ||||
| Epsom Derby (also known as The Derby, Derby Stakes and the English Derby) | Epsom Downs Racecourse, England | 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 10 yards | 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 | 2,100 metres (about 1 mile and 2½ furlongs) | 3 yr olds colts and fillies | 1836 | Early June | |
| German Derby (Deutsches Derby) | Horner Rennbahn, Hamburg | 2,400 metres (about 1½ 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 | |
| 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 | 1½ miles | 3 yr olds | 1866 | Last Sunday in June[t 4] | |
| Kentucky Derby | Churchill Downs, Louisville, Kentucky, USA | 1¼ miles | 3 yr olds | 1875 | 1st Saturday in May | |
| New Zealand Derby | Ellerslie Racecourse, Auckland | 2,400 metres (12 furlongs) | 3yr olds | 1860 | 1st Saturday in March | |
| Queensland Derby | ||||||
| Singapore Derby | Kranji Racecourse | 2,000 metres | 4 yr olds | 1880 | Mid July | |
| Swedish Trotting Derby (Svenskt Travderby) | Jägersro Racetrack, Malmö | 2,640 metres (1,64 miles) | 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 | ||||||
| Footnotes: | ||||||
- Other
- American Classic Races
- British Classic Races
- French Classic Races
- Thoroughbred horse racing
- Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
Notes
- ↑ Reeves 1997, p.134.
- ↑ Vesey 2003, p. 135.
- ↑ Freeman 1997, p. 68.
- ↑ Schreifer & Sivell 1996.
- ↑ Only run once between 1905 and 1925.
- ↑ Sun Kingdom wins Bangalore Derby Retrieved 2011-2-6
References
- 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, 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