Derby (horse race)

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.

Other

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

Notes

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

• 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