Derby (horse race)

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

Other

Notes

^ Reeves 1997, p.134.
^ Vesey 2003, p. 135.
^ Freeman 1997, p. 68.
^ Schreifer & Sivell 1996, p. K-1.
^ 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, 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

This set index article includes a list of related items that share the same name (or similar names).
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[Place-5] Location has varied

[Distance-6] Distance has varied

[9] Before 1995, 1st Wednesday in June

[10] Current race date. Dates have varied over time, but have always been in late June or early July.

[FOOTNOTEReeves1997[httpsbooksgooglecombooksidtaIfkYgVCWICpgPA134_p.134]-1] Reeves 1997, p.134.

[FOOTNOTEVesey2003[httpsbooksgooglecombooksid5YiIzxJT5o8CpgRA1-PT110_p._135]-2] Vesey 2003, p. 135.

[FOOTNOTEFreeman1997[httpsbooksgooglecombooksiddujiiVP2KJICpgPA68_p._68]-3] Freeman 1997, p. 68.

[FOOTNOTESchreiferSivell1996[httpsbooksgooglecombooksidNhXkvhEQaCQCpgSL11-PA1_p._K-1]-4] Schreifer & Sivell 1996, p. K-1.

[7] Only run once between 1905 and 1925.

[8] Sun Kingdom wins Bangalore Derby Retrieved 2011-2-6

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