A derby is a type of horse race, named after the Derby Stakes, still run at Epsom Downs Racecourse

Epsom Downs Racecourse

Epsom Downs is a Grade 1 racecourse near Epsom, Surrey, England. The "downs" referred to in the name are part of the North Downs. The course is best known for hosting the Epsom Derby, the United Kingdom's premier thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old colts and fillies, over a mile and a half...

 in England. That was in turn named for Edward Smith-Stanley, 12th Earl of Derby

Edward Smith-Stanley, 12th Earl of Derby

Edward Smith-Stanley, 12th Earl of Derby PC , styled Lord Strange between 1771 and 1776, was a British peer and politician of the late 18th and early 19th centuries...

, who inaugurated the race in 1780. The best-known example in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 is the Kentucky Derby

Kentucky Derby

The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...

.

Traditionally, the term "derby" is used strictly to refer to races restricted to three-year-olds, as the English and U.S.

United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing

In the United States, the "Triple Crown" is usually the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, a series of three Thoroughbred horse races for three-year-old horses run in May and early June of each year consisting of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes.While Daily Racing Form...

 Triple Crown

Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing

The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing consists of three races for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses. Winning all three of these Thoroughbred horse races is considered the greatest accomplishment of a Thoroughbred racehorse...

 races all are. The most notable exceptions to this rule are the Hong Kong Derby

Hong Kong Derby

The Hong Kong Derby is a Hong Kong Thoroughbred horse race held annually since 1873. Restricted to horses four-years-old only since 1981, the race is run in mid-March and is the premier event on the domestic racing programme with a purse of HK$16 million The Hong Kong Derby is a Hong Kong...

 and Singapore Derby

Singapore Derby

The Singapore Derby is a Thoroughbred horse race held annually in mid July at Kranji Racecourse in Singapore. Contested on turf over a left-handed course, the domestic Group One race is run over a distance 2000 meters and is open to four-year-old horses only.Inaugurated in 1880 at the Serangoon...

, restricted to four-year-old Thoroughbreds, and the Canadian Pacing Derby, an annual harness race

Harness racing

Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait . They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, although racing under saddle is also conducted in Europe.-Breeds:...

 for "aged pacers" (Standardbreds

Standardbred horse

Standardbreds are a breed of horse best known for their ability to race in harness at a trot or pace instead of under saddle at a gallop. Developed in North America, the breed is now recognized worldwide for its harness racing ability...

) four years old and up.

Name	Place	Distance	Restrictions	First race	Day	Notes
American Derby American Derby The American Derby is a Thoroughbred horse race in the United States run annually at Arlington Park in Arlington Heights, Illinois. The inaugural American Derby was held at the city's old Washington Park race track and raced there until 1905 when the facility was closed and the track demolished....	Arlington Park Arlington Park Arlington Park is a horse race track in the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights, Illinois. Horse racing in the Chicago region has been a popular sport since the early days of the city in the 1830s, and at one time Chicago had more horse racing tracks than any other major metropolitan area... , Arlington Heights, Illinois Arlington Heights, Illinois Arlington Heights is a village in Cook and Lake counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. A suburb of Chicago, it lies about 25 miles northwest of the city's downtown. The population was 75,101 at the 2010 census.... , USA United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... Location has varied	1 3/16 milesDistance has varied		1884
Australian Derby (also known as AJC Derby)	Randwick Racecourse Randwick Racecourse Royal Randwick Racecourse is a racecourse for horseracing in the Eastern Suburbs in Sydney, New South Wales. Randwick Racecourse, is operated by the Australian Jockey Club and known to many Sydney racegoers as headquarters... , Sydney Sydney Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...	2,400 metres	3 yr olds	1861	Late March or early April
Bangalore Derby		2,400 metres	4 yr olds & up
Epsom Derby Epsom Derby The Derby Stakes, popularly known as The Derby, internationally as the Epsom Derby, and under its present sponsor as the Investec Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies...  (also known as The Derby, Derby Stakes and the English Derby)	Epsom Downs Racecourse Epsom Downs Racecourse Epsom Downs is a Grade 1 racecourse near Epsom, Surrey, England. The "downs" referred to in the name are part of the North Downs. The course is best known for hosting the Epsom Derby, the United Kingdom's premier thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old colts and fillies, over a mile and a half... , England	1 mile, 4 furlongs and 10 yards	3 yr olds	1780	1st Saturday in JuneBefore 1995, 1st Wednesday in June
French Derby (more often known as Prix du Jockey Club)	Chantilly Racecourse Chantilly Racecourse Chantilly Racecourse is a Thoroughbred turf racecourse for flat racing in Chantilly, Oise, France, about north of the centre of the city of Paris....	2,100 metres (about 1 mile and 2½ furlongs)	3 yr olds	1836	Early June
German Derby	Horner Rennbahn Horner Rennbahn -External links:*... , Hamburg Hamburg -History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...	2,400 metres (about 1½ miles)		1869	Early July
Hong Kong Derby Hong Kong Derby The Hong Kong Derby is a Hong Kong Thoroughbred horse race held annually since 1873. Restricted to horses four-years-old only since 1981, the race is run in mid-March and is the premier event on the domestic racing programme with a purse of HK$16 million The Hong Kong Derby is a Hong Kong...
Italian Derby (Derby Italiano)				1884
Indian Derby	Kolkata Racecourse Kolkata Race Course Kolkata Race Course in Kolkata , India is one of the largest horse race venues in India. The race course was built in the year 1820 and was maintained by the Royal Calcutta Turf Club.... , Kolkata Kolkata Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...	metres
Irish Derby	The Curragh Curragh Racecourse The Curragh Racecourse, usually abbreviated to The Curragh, is Ireland's most important Thoroughbred race track. It is situated on the Curragh plain near Newbridge, County Kildare, Ireland.- History :... , County Kildare County Kildare County Kildare is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county... , Ireland Republic of Ireland Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...	1½ miles	3 yr olds	1866	Last Sunday in JuneCurrent race date. Dates have varied over time, but have always been in late June or early July.
Kentucky Derby Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...	Churchill Downs Churchill Downs Churchill Downs, located in Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, is a Thoroughbred racetrack most famous for hosting the Kentucky Derby annually. It officially opened in 1875, and held the first Kentucky Derby and the first Kentucky Oaks in the same year. Churchill Downs... , Louisville, Kentucky Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096... , USA United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...	1¼ miles	3 yr olds	1875	1st Saturday in May
New Zealand Derby New Zealand Derby The New Zealand Derby is a set-weights Thoroughbred horserace for three-year-old, run over a distance of 2,400 metres at Ellerslie Racecourse in Auckland, New Zealand. It is held on the first Saturday in March, as the opening day of Auckland Cup Week. From 2009, it was run for a purse of $2.2...	Ellerslie Racecourse Ellerslie Racecourse Ellerslie Racecourse is the main racecourse in Ellerslie, Auckland, New Zealand for thoroughbred racehorses. It is an undulating, grass circuit of approximately 1,900 m.-History:The first race meeting was held at Ellerslie on 25 May 1874... , Auckland Auckland The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...	2,400 metres (12 furlongs)	3yr olds	1860	1st Saturday in March	The richest Derby in the Southern Hemisphere
Queensland Derby Queensland Derby The Queensland Derby is a Brisbane Racing Club Group 1 Australian Thoroughbred horse race for three year olds at, set weights, run over a distance of 2400 metres at Eagle Farm Racecourse, Brisbane in June...
Singapore Derby Singapore Derby The Singapore Derby is a Thoroughbred horse race held annually in mid July at Kranji Racecourse in Singapore. Contested on turf over a left-handed course, the domestic Group One race is run over a distance 2000 meters and is open to four-year-old horses only.Inaugurated in 1880 at the Serangoon...
Victoria Derby Victoria Derby The Victoria Derby is an Australian Thoroughbred horse race held annually on the first day of Melbourne's annual Spring Racing Carnival, Victorian Derby Day, held at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne. A Group One race for three-year-old horses, it is raced on a left-handed turf course at a...
WATC Derby WATC Derby The WATC Derby is an Australian Group 1 thoroughbred horse race for three year olds, at set weights, held at Ascot Racecourse in Perth. It is run each year in April...
Footnotes:

Other

• American Classic Races
• British Classic Races
• French Classic Races
  French Classic Races
  In France, the Classics of horse racing are a series of Group One Thoroughbred horse races run annually on the flat. The four races are organized by France Galop.The Prix de Diane is restricted to filles....
  
  
• Thoroughbred horse racing
• Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
  Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
  The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing consists of three races for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses. Winning all three of these Thoroughbred horse races is considered the greatest accomplishment of a Thoroughbred racehorse...