The Derby Stakes, also known as the Derby or the Epsom Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in England open to three-year-old colts and fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs Racecourse in Surrey on the first Saturday of June each year, over a distance of one mile, four furlongs and 10 yards, or about 1½ miles. It was first run in 1780.
Nijinsky was a Canadian-bred, Irish-trained champion Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He was the outstanding two-year-old in Europe in 1969 when he was unbeaten in five races. In the following season, he became the first horse for thirty-five years to win the English Triple Crown, a feat that has not been repeated as of 2023. He is regarded as one of the greatest European flat racehorses of the 20th century.
The Irish Derby is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 mile and 4 furlongs, and it is scheduled to take place each year in late June or early July.
The Irish Champion Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Leopardstown over a distance of 1 mile and 2 furlongs, and it is scheduled to take place each year in September.
Aidan Patrick O'Brien is an Irish horse racing trainer. Since 1996, he has been the private trainer at Ballydoyle Stables near Rosegreen in County Tipperary for John Magnier and his Coolmore Stud associates. He is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest horse racing trainers of all time.
Ryan Lee Moore is an English flat racing jockey, who was Champion Jockey in 2006, 2008 and 2009. He is currently the first choice jockey for Aidan O'Brien's Ballydoyle operation, a role in which he mainly rides horses owned by Coolmore Stud. He also sometimes rides horses for Juddmonte and The Royal Family. As of 2023, Moore has ridden over 170 Group or Grade 1 winners internationally. He has the most British Group & Listed wins of any active jockey.
Dr Devious was an Irish-bred and British-trained Thoroughbred race horse. In a career which lasted from May 1991 until November 1992, he ran fifteen times and won six races. He is most notable as the winner of the Derby in 1992. Dr Devious's other most significant wins came in the Dewhurst Stakes and the Irish Champion Stakes. He was the second horse, after Bold Arrangement in 1986, to run in both the Kentucky Derby and the Epsom Derby.
Dermot K. Weld, a former jockey is one of Ireland's most successful racehorse trainers. He set a new record for the most winners trained in Ireland with 2,578 in August 2000, holding the record until Willie Mullins overtook it in May 2024.
Patrick Joseph Smullen, was an Irish jockey who won the Irish flat racing Champion Jockey title nine times. In a career running from 1992 to 2018 he rode 1,845 winners in Ireland and 47 in Britain. Amongst his biggest successes were riding Harzand to victories in the Epsom Derby and Irish Derby in 2016. He was stable jockey to Dermot Weld from 1999 until 2018.
Grundy (1972–1992) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse. In a racing career which lasted from July 1974 until August 1975, he ran eleven times and won eight races. He was the leading British two-year-old of 1974, when his wins included the Champagne Stakes and the Dewhurst Stakes. In 1975 he was narrowly beaten in the 2000 Guineas but went on to win the Irish 2000 Guineas and the Epsom and Irish Derbies. He is best remembered for his win over Bustino in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes, which has been described as Britain's "Race of the Century". He was retired to stud at the end of 1975 and had some success as a sire of winners. He was exported to Japan, where he died in 1992.
Sea The Stars is a retired champion Irish Thoroughbred racehorse regarded as one of the greatest racehorses of all time. He won the 2000 Guineas, the Derby, the Eclipse Stakes – the first colt to accomplish this treble since 1989 champion Nashwan – the International Stakes, the Irish Champion Stakes and the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in the same year. Sea The Stars is also a successful sire. His progeny have won classic races including the Derby, Irish Derby, and the Oaks.
The 1986 Epsom Derby was a horse race which took place at Epsom Downs on Wednesday 4 June 1986. It was the 207th running of the Derby, and it was won by Shahrastani. The winner was ridden by Walter Swinburn and trained by Michael Stoute. The prerace favourite Dancing Brave finished second.
Airborne was an Irish-bred British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. After showing little worthwhile form as a two-year-old, Airborne improved to become one of the leading three-year-olds in Britain in 1946. He won five successive races including two Classics: the Derby at Epsom and the St Leger at Doncaster. He was the most recent of four greys to have won the Epsom Classic. Airborne went on to have a stud career of limited success.
Indiana was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a career which lasted from autumn 1963 until July 1965 he ran thirteen times and won four races. He won the Classic St Leger as a three-year-old in 1964, the same year in which he also won the Chester Vase and the Great Voltigeur Stakes. Indiana also finished second in The Derby and the Grand Prix de Paris. He retired from racing and was exported in 1966 to stand as a stallion in Japan. He died in 1983.
The Juvenile Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Ireland open to two-year-old thoroughbreds. It is run over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres) at Leopardstown in September.
The following list shows the line of descent for major winners from the Northern Dancer sire line, tracking patrilineal descent from the stallion dubbed by the New York Times in 1990 "the dominant progenitor of his breed". It focuses on winners of the principal three-year-old Classic races, as these have long been used to evaluate a stallion's success, and the highest quality races for older horses based on International Federation of Horseracing Authorities rankings. A few other highly prestigious races from around the world have been included as well.
Rhododendron is an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse. As a two-year-old in 2016 she was rated the joint-best filly of her generation trained in Europe, inferior only to the American filly Lady Aurelia. After finishing second on her racecourse debut she won a maiden race at Goodwood Racecourse and then recorded her first important success when taking the Group Two Debutante Stakes at the Curragh in August. She was slightly disappointing when finishing third in the Moyglare Stud Stakes but returned to her best in October to win the Fillies' Mile. As a three-year-old she finished second in both the 1000 Guineas and the Oaks before winning the Prix de l'Opéra. As a four-year-old in 2018 she added another major win in the Lockinge Stakes. She made an instant impact as a broodmare, producing the dual Derby winner Auguste Rodin from her first mating.
The 1979 Epsom Derby was the 200th annual running of the Derby horse race. It took place at Epsom Downs Racecourse on 6 June 1979. With a prize of £153,980 to the winner, the race value was a significant increase on the £98,410 offered the previous year and a record for a race contested in Europe
Serpentine is an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse best known for his win in the 2020 Epsom Derby.
Auguste Rodin is a multiple-Group 1 winning Irish-bred Thoroughbred racehorse. In 2022 he won three of his four races, including the Vertem Futurity Trophy. In the following year he won the Epsom Derby, Irish Derby, Irish Champion Stakes and Breeders' Cup Turf. As a four-year-old he continued his brilliant form winning the Group 1 Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot.
