Popular Nostalgia

1780
Diomed, owned by Sir Charles Bunbury, wins the inaugural running of the Derby
on Thursday, May 4.
1784
The distance increases from a mile to a mile and a half which still prevails today,
though from 1991 the offi cial distance has been one mile, four furlongs and 10
yards.
1794 The smallest fi eld of four goes to post and Daedalus comes home successful.
1801 Eleanor, owned by Sir Charles Bunbury, is the fi rst of six fi llies to win the Classic.
1821
Gustavus becomes the fi rst of four greys to win the Derby - the others have been
Tagalie in 1912, Mahmoud in 1936 and Airborne in 1946.
1823
Trainer Robert Robson sends out his seventh winner of the Derby in Emilius - a
record that he holds jointly with John Porter and Fred Darling.
1828
Cadland and The Colonel dead-heat, with the fi rst-named getting the verdict by
half a length in a run-off.
1838
The unraced 15 hands high Amato, who was nicknamed ‘the coughing pony’ after
starting to cough in the days before the race, wins the Derby. He went lame soon
afterwards and never raced again.
1844
Ineligible four-year-old Maccabeus, running under the name Running Rein, is fi rst
past the post, only for the deception to be discovered and the horse disqualifi ed.
The Classic goes to Orlando who gives the fi rst champion jockey, Nat Flatman, his
sole Derby win.
1853
West Australian is the fi rst horse to be successful in the British Triple Crown -
winning the three British Classics for colts, the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket, the
Derby and the St Leger at Doncaster.
1857
Blink Bonny, owned and trained by William I’Anson, becomes the second fi lly to
win the Derby.
1862 The biggest ever Derby field of 34 goes to post.
1865
Gladiateur, the second horse to land the British Triple Crown, is the fi rst horse
to win the three Classics along with the Grand Prix de Paris and the Ascot Gold
Cup. Furthermore, he is the fi rst French-bred colt to capture the Derby and is
nicknamed the “Avenger of Waterloo”.
1866
Lord Lyon captures the second leg of his British Triple Crown after battling back
bravely to beat Savernake, also second in the St Leger.
1881
Iroquois is the fi rst American-bred colt to win the Derby under Fred Archer who
was successful in the Classic fi ve times.
1882
A third fi lly is successful when Shotover gets the upper hand inside the fi nal
furlong to score for John Porter.
1884
A second dead-heat and the only one offi cially recorded happens when the judge
fails to separate Harvester and St Gatien, with the prize money being divided.
1886
Ormonde, winning the race en-route to landing the British Triple Crown, gives
Fred Archer his fi nal success in the Classic.
1887
The unraced Merry Hampton, who was transferred to trainer Martin Gurry two
weeks earlier, wins the Derby. Bookmakers were obviously aware of his ability, as
his starting price was 100/9.

1891 Common is the fifth horse to land the British Triple Crown.

1893 Isinglass is on his way to a Triple Crown success with victory in the Derby.
1894
The shortest-priced Derby winner Ladas, owned by the fi fth Earl Of Rosebery who
was the Prime Minister of Great Britain, is returned at 2/9.
1895 The Derby is the first horse race to be fi lmed.
1896 The first 100/1 winner is seen when Jeddah scores.
1899
Trainer John Porter saddles his seventh winner with Flying Fox - a record that he
holds with Robert Robson and Fred Darling. Flying Fox gives Porter his third Triple
Crown.
1900
Another Triple Crown winner looms with Diamond Jubilee, who carries the colours
of Edward, Prince of Wales.
1903 Rock Sand lands the Derby, the second part of his Triple Crown.
1908 Signorinetta is the fourth fi lly to win the race when defying odds of 100/1.
1912 A fi fth fi lly is successful when Tagalie lands the Derby.
1913
Suffragette Emily Davison throws herself in front of King George V’s horse Anmer,
bringing him down. Davison’s skull is fractured and she dies four days later.
Meanwhile, fi rst past the post Craganour is disqualifi ed and 100/1 runner-up
Aboyeur is awarded the race.
1915
The Derby was moved to Newmarket for four years due to the First World War.
Pommern wins the premier Classic en-route to collecting the Triple Crown.
1916
Fifi nella becomes the to sixth and most recent fi lly to win the Derby. She also
captures the Oaks at the same meeting at Newmarket.
1917 Gay Crusader wins the Derby, the second leg of his Triple Crown.
1918 Another Triple Crown winner arrives in the shape of Gainsborough.
1921
Humorist dies two weeks after winning the Classic from a tubercular lung
infection.
1927 The Derby is broadcast by BBC radio for the first time.
1932
The Derby is televised for the fi rst time when April The Fifth wins. His trainer Tom
Walls was based in Epsom and, despite the town still being a training centre, no
Derby victor since has come from Epsom.
1935 Bahram wins his second leg of the Triple Crown.
1940
Due to the Second World War, the Derby is again moved to Newmarket, this time
for six renewals.
1941
Owen Tudor gives trainer Fred Darling success number seven in the Derby - a
record that he holds jointly with Robert Robson and John Porter.
1949
A photo-fi nish camera is used for the fi rst time to decide the Derby outcome.
Nimbus wins by a head from French raider Amour Drake, with Swallow Tail a
further head back in third.
1953
On his 28th and fi nal attempt, Sir Gordon Richards records his only Epsom Derby
victory on Pinza. The jockey is the fi rst of his profession to receive a knighthood
that same week, while the newly crowned Queen Elizabeth II is present to see her
Aureole fi nish second. The Classic is run on a Saturday for the fi rst time, to avoid
a clash with the Coronation.

1954 Lester Piggott wins the fi rst of his nine Derbys, aged 18, on Never Say Die.
1957
2000 Guineas winner Crepello, trained by Sir Noel Murless and ridden by Lester
Piggott, lands the Derby by a length and a half on his last racecourse appearance.
Second home, Ballymoss, goes on to land the Irish Derby, St Leger, Eclipse Stakes,
King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes, Coronation Cup and Prix de l’Arc de
Triomphe.
1965
Sea-Bird II is regarded as one of the greatest winners of the 20th century after his
scintillating success.
1967
Starting stalls are used for the fi rst time. Australian jockey George Moore triumphs
on 2000 Guineas winner Royal Palace.
1968
Sir Ivor is one of the most impressive post-war winners of the race for Irish trainer
Vincent O’Brien and Lester Piggott.
1970
Nijinsky records a memorable victory, giving Vincent O’Brien a third Derby success
and a fi fth for jockey Lester Piggott, en-route to becoming the most recent horse
to land the British Triple Crown.
1977
The Vincent O’Brien-trained The Minstrel is considered one of the best winners of
the Classic after his gutsy success under Lester Piggott.
1981
Shergar, trained by Sir Michael Stoute and ridden by 19-year-old Walter Swinburn,
who was having his fi rst Derby ride, scores by 10 lengths - a record winning
margin.
1994
Lester Piggott, the most successful jockey in the race’s history with nine victories,
has his fi nal mount, aged 58, on Khamaseen, who fi nishes fi fth.
1995
The Derby, switched to Saturday to ensure that more people can watch the race,
is won by Lammtarra in 2min 32.31secs, a record time that remains unchallenged.
The success is claimed by Godolphin, with Lammtarra trained by Saeed bin Suroor
but he carries the colours of Saeed Maktoum Al Maktoum rather than the royal
blue of Godolphin.
1996
Alex Greaves is the only woman to ride in a Derby - she fi nished last on Portuguese
Lil.
1998
Cape Verdi is the most recent fi lly to run in the Derby. She started favourite at 11/4
and fi nished ninth to High-Rise.
1999
Henry Cecil saddles his fourth winner of the Derby in Oath, who provides Kieren
Fallon with an initial win in the race. Cecil’s previous winners were Slip Anchor
(1985), Reference Point (1987) and Commander In Chief (1993).
2000
Sinndar’s victory under Johnny Murtagh is a fourth Derby winner for the Aga Khan
IV, the most successful present-day owner, and a first Epsom Derby success for
Irish trainer John Oxx.
2001
Top sire Sadler’s Wells has his first Epsom Derby winner when his son Galileo
strikes under Michael Kinane for Ireland’s champion trainer Aidan O’Brien.
2002
Aidan O’Brien records back-to-back wins with sons of Sadler’s Wells, courtesy of
Michael Tabor’s and Sue Magnier High Chaparral.
2003
Kris Kin gives Sir Michael Stoute and Kieren Fallon a tremendous victory in the
Classic, landing a major gamble in the process.
2004
Winning back-to-back renewals, Sir Michael Stoute equals current trainer Henry
Cecil’s record of four winners with North Light, ridden by Kieren Fallon, who had
also provided Cecil with his fourth winner of the race.
2005
Irish jockey Johnny Murtagh secures his third Derby victory and trainer Michael
Bell his first when Motivator scores for the Royal Ascot Racing Club.
2006
A four-way photo-fi nish sees Sir Percy and Martin Dwyer, who pounced late up
the inside rail, get the verdict for trainer Marcus Tregoning. Dwyer wins a Lester
Award for ‘Flat Ride of the Year’ for coming out top in the closest Derby finish
ever.
2007
On his 15th attempt, charismatic jockey Frankie Dettori finally wins the Derby on
the Peter Chapple-Hyam-trained Authorized.

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