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History

From History, we know that the 12th Earl of Derby and the perpetual president to the Jockey Club, Sir Charles Bunbury spun a coin to determine what the race should be christened. Derby Stakes won over Bunbury Stakes. The very first Derby Stakes on 4th May 1780 was open to colts aged three years. 9 runners participated in the one mile race, and even though Lord Derby had won the toss of the coin, Sir Charles owned Diomed, the first winner. From 1784, the Derby distance got extended to a mile and a half, and this new distance required horses with the right mental toughness to conquer.

Course

The Epsom Derby takes place on the contours of Epsom Downs, Surrey over 2.4 km in June every year(famously held on the 1st Saturday of said month ). It is a very competitive contest that only allows in thoroughbred colts and fillies at 3 years old.

Past winners

Notable 19th century victors include Voltigeur (1850), Western Australia (1853) and Gladiateur (1856). St Gatien and Harvester had a dead heat in 1884. In 1886, two years after that, the great Ormonde emerged winner. The 1894 renewal was won by Persimmon.

The most notable trainer was Robert Robson who instructed an incredible 7 winners of the race: Waxy in 1793, Tyrant in 1802, Pope in 1809) Whalebone in 1810, Whisker in 1815, Azor in 1817, and Emilius in 1823. In the 19th Century, John Porter excelled by sending out 7 Derby winners: Blue Gown in 1868, Shotover in 1882, St. Blaise in 1883), Ormonde in 1886, Sainfoin 1890, Common in 1891 and Flying Fox in 1899.

In the first half of the 20th Century, Fred Darling the great replicated this feat with Captain Cuttle in 1922, Manna in 1925, Coronach in 1926, Cameronian in 1931, Bois Roussel in 1938, Pont l’Eveque in 1940 and Owen Tudor in 1941

Prize money

The Epsom Derby was valued at £1.625 million in 2017

About

Melbourne Cup is an Australian Thoroughbred horse race held every first Tuesday of November every year at 3
pm. The 3,200-meter race is restricted to three years old and over horses. The event is always held at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Victoria. Victoria state celebrates Melbourne Cup Day during the event.

History

Melbourne Cup horse race was started in 1861. Jockey John Cutts became the winner in the first two years while riding Archer. The Melbourne Cup Day in Victoria was first marked in 1877 in honour of the event and has been held ever since. The racecourse was over two miles until 1972 when it was reduced to 1.988 mi (3200 meters).

The first Melbourne Cup race with a prize of over $1 million was run in 1985. In 2004, the prize hit $4,600,000. In 2010, it reached $6,000,000 and later $6,200,000 in 2012, the level it has maintained since then. The cup is regarded as one of the world’s richest turf races.

Record

Makybe Diva holds the record for the horse with most wins. Glenn Boss is the Australian jockey who rode Makybe Diva to victory in 2003, 2004, and 2005. Bobby Lewis and Harry White are the two most successful jockeys at the event with five wins each. Lewis’ last victory was in 1927 while White last win was in 1979. The 2003 event had the highest attendance of about 122,736 people.

 

Previous Winners

 

Jockey Corey Brown won the 2017 Melbourne Cup race riding Rekindling, a three-year-old Thoroughbred horse.
Jockey Ben Melham, on Johannes Vermeer, came second. Jockey Kerrin McEvoy had won the 2016 race riding Almandin.

Apart from Archer and Makybe Diva, other horses that have won the event twice are Peter Pan, Rain Lover, and Think  Big. In 2014, jockey Ryan Moore won the race while riding Protectionist. In 2015, Michelle Payne became the first female jockey to win while riding on Prince of Penzance.

Scottish Grand National is one of the most anticipated races in the Scottish sports calendar. The race is a National Hunt, with five years and above horses taking part in it. It was inaugurated in 1867, and is scheduled to take place each April. It is featured in Scottish National Festival meeting, which is a two-day event, staging a total of 15 exciting races. The race is run on the left-handed Ayr racecourse track, with the horses covering a total distance of 6,538 meters.  Generall being a handicap race, this is sponsored by Coral.

The Scottish Grand National irst run in 1858, and its first venue was a course neighboring Houston, Renfrewshire. By then, it was widely called  the West Scotland National. In 1867, the race went to Bogside following an objection by Free Kirk leader in Houston. Initially, the race covered a total distance of 3 miles. Later, it extended to today’s 6,538 meters. In 1880, Peacock won it, and that was when it was given its current name. In 1965, the Scottish National transferred to Ayr racecourse, following the closure of Bogside racecourse. The change in venue however didn’t affect its popularity.

Over the years, the race has attracted the most skilled jockeys from Ireland and the United Kingdom. This year, the race was won by Joe Farrell, with Balloptic taking the second position and Vintage Clouds coming third. Most of its winners in the past years like Little Polveir as well as Earth Summit have also grabbed the headlines at the counterpart race at Aintree. In 1974, Red Rum became the first horse to win the two races. The prize money for
this race has been increasing significantly over the years. In 1867, the winning horse won a total of 100 Euros, which increased to 440 Euros in 1906. Today, the winning horse walks away with a whopping 215,000 Euros at the end of the day.

About

Kentucky Derby is an annual horse race event held in Louisville, Kentucky. The tournament lasts two weeks and is
regarded as America’s longest running sporting contest. The winner takes home $1,425,000.

History

In 1872, Meriwether Lewis Clark went to Europe and got a chance to attend the Epsom Derby, a popular horse race in England then. After returning to America, he was determined to start a similar event home. His uncles, John and Henry Churchill gave him the land he needed. On May 17, 1875, the first race was run and Oliver Lewis riding Aristides emerged as the winner in front a crowd of about 10,000 fans.

In the early years, the three-year-old Thoroughbreds ran for one and a half miles. However, in 1896, that distance was shortened to one and a quarter miles. BBC broadcasted the event internationally for the first time in 1932.

Records

Eddy Arcaro and Bill Hartack are two jockeys who have recorded the most wins at five. Eddie Arcaro’s first win came in 1938 while riding Lawrin and the last one came in 1952 while riding Hill Gail. Bill Hartack’s last win was with
Majestic Prince in 1969.

2018 Event

On Saturday, May 5, 2018, Mike Smith, riding Justify, won the Kentucky Derby. This was the second win for the 52-year-old iron man who recorded his first win in 2005. During the 144th event, about 157,813 spectators turned up. Good Magic ridden by Jose L. Ortiz and Audible ridden by Javier Castellano took the second and the third places respectively.

Previous Winners

The event has been held continuously even in the middle of major disruptions such as the Great Depression and the two World Wars. In 2017, Always Dreaming under jockey John Velazquez won the race. It was Velazquez’s second win after winning with Animal Kingdom in 2011. Victor Espinoza has also been another successful jockey at the
event in recent times after winning in  2014 and 2015 with California Chrome and American Pharaoh respectively.