The Derby / Dan Fitch / 04 May 2011 / Leave a Comment

Dan Fitch looks at the numbers which define the statistics, records and history of the Epsom Derby.

Betting on horse racing is a numbers game, so it's no surprise to find that the history of the Derby is one defined by numbers.

Here are all the records and statistics of the greatest flat racing event of all - it's the Derby in numbers.

3 - The Derby is open to three-year old Thoroughbred colts and fillies.

4 - Four greys have won the Derby. Gustavus in 1821, Tagalie in 1912, Mahmoud in 1936 and Airborne in 1946.

5 - Only two owners have seen their horses win the Derby five times. George Wyndham, The Third Earl of Egremont won five Derby races between 1782 and 1826, while Aga Khan III repeated the feat between 1930 and 1952.

6 - The number of fillies to have won the Derby. The last filly to be victorious was Fifinella in 1916.

7 - Three trainers have won the Derby on a record seven occasions. Robert Robson between 1793 and 1823, John Porter between 1868 and 1899, and Fred Darling between 1922 and 1941, all trained their horses to seven Epsom victories.

8 - The Ballydoyle yard in County Tipperary, Ireland has provided eight Derby winners. Vincent O'Brien trained six winners and then later after taking over the yard, Aiden O'Brien (no relation) has won the race twice.

9 - The record number of Derby wins enjoyed by the jockey Lester Piggott. The legendary jockey was victorious in 1954, 1957, 1960, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1976, 1977 and 1983.

10 - The widest winning margin was the ten lengths that Shergar won the Derby by in 1981.

13 - In 1830 a tremendous downpour saw the race delayed, after 13 false starts.

18 - The age of Lester Piggott when he won his first Derby in 1954 on Never Say Die. He is the youngest jockey to have won the race in the modern age, but John Parsons was thought to be aged only 16 when he won on Caractacus in 1862.

25 - The past 38 Derby races have seen the race won by the first or second favourite win on 25 occasions.

28 - The number of attempts it took Sir Gordon Richards to win his first Derby in 1953 on Pinza.

34 - The largest Derby field was the 34 that ran in 1862. There is now a safety limit of 20.

60 - The oldest winning jockey is thought to have been John Forth, who was at least 60 when he won on Frederick in 1829.

100 - The biggest price of a Derby winner was the 100/1 available on Deddah in 1898, Signorinatta in 1908 and Aboyeur in 1913.

151 - The number of seconds that it took Workforce to win the Derby in 2010. The times of 2m 31.33 seconds is the fastest winning time at Epsom.

231 - The Derby has been contested on 231 occasions since it was first ran in 1780.

1065 - The winner of that first Derby in 1780 collected £1065 15s in prize money.

2423 - The distance in metres of the Derby course.

1250000 - The 2011 Derby will feature a prize fund of at least £1,250,000.

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