Please read and enjoy our article and watch your FREE LONDON MUSIC VIDEO at the end Roll-up, roll-up, all the fun of the fair! Stalls, clowns, big wheels and open top buses.
It must be Derby time!
And to cap it all, you're at Tattenham Corner and enjoying the sight of a dozen or more of the finest racehorses in the world vying for position to be the first to cross the finishing line 4½ furlongs (900 metres) distant. | | The 1830's Epsom Grandstand |
| The Derby Stakes , also referred to as The Derby or the Epsom Derby , is one of the most prestigious and famous horse races in the world. The Derby race meeting takes place over a week every June at Epsom Downs , to the south-west of London.
The Epsom Derby is one of the five British Classic Races , the others being the 2,000 Guineas , the 1,000 Guineas , the Epsom Oaks and the St Leger Stakes . The race is also the second leg of the English Triple Crown , preceded by the 2,000 Guineas and followed by the St. Leger .
The Derby is a Group 1 race for three-year-old colts and fillies, although the latter have rarely participated in recent years. The equivalent race for fillies only is the Epsom Oaks, and for older horses, the Coronation Cup , both run over the same course and distance.
Many Derby contenders are prepared for the race by running in one or more of the recognised Derby Trials . Epsom 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 .
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|  | | An old print of the Derby | The Derby originated at a celebration following the first running of the Epsom Oaks in 1779 , a test for the fastest three-year-old thoroughbreds . The Earl of Derby and Sir Charles Bunbury apparently flipped a coin and whoever won the toss was to have the race named after him .
Needless to say, Sir Charles lost the toss consigning the name 'The Bunbury Stakes' to history's dustbin.
Originally, the Derby was run over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres). In 1784 , the race was changed to the current distance of 1 mile and 4 furlongs (1 1/2 miles or 2,414 metres). For some reason the official distance was changed to 1 mile 4 furlongs and 10 yards (2,423 metres) in 1991 (don't ASK!).
So take the train from Waterloo Station or, better still, an open top bus with an ample supply of on board 'refreshments' and head off for the Derby next June .
To see those mighty animals jockying for position around Tattenham Corner makes the blood run cold, only bettered when a few seconds later an anxious glance at your betting slip shows that your horse succeeded in the titanic struggle up the straight to cross the line first…. at 20/1 odds !
Now, that IS a good day at the races! |
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