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The Irish Derby Stakes race

06:53 Jul 18th, 2018 Horse Racing

The Irish Derby Stakes

The Irish Derby is the jewel in the crown of Irish flat racing. Modeled on the most famous of the English Classics, the Epsom Derby, the Irish Derby is today recognized as one of the most prestigious and valuable thoroughbred races in Europe.

The Irish Derby is Open to 3-year-old thoroughbred racehorses. The race is scheduled approximately 3 weeks after the Epsom Derby and tends to attract many of the same entries from that race, although the participation of the reigning Epsom Derby champion in the Irish Derby has been intermittent over recent years.

A distance of 1 mile 4 furlongs is covered in the Irish Derby. The race is open to both fillies and colts, however, it is unusual for fillies to compete in the race, with these instead directed at the fillies’ only Irish Oaks. The winner of the Irish Derby will often go on to compete in major late-season events like the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and the Breeders’ Cup Championships. 

O’Darby…

Ireland has traditionally been a stronghold of national hunt racing, and it is therefore unsurprising that several attempts were required to launch the Irish Derby. The first of these was made in 1817 with the launch of the O’Darby Stakes, an event that ran for only 7 years. In 1848 a second attempt was made to launch an Irish equivalent of the Epsom Derby with the creation of the Curragh Derby. This too attracted little interest from Irish racing fans, and it wasn’t until 1866 that the race was established permanently under the auspices of the 3rd Earl of Howth, the 3rd Marquess of Drogheda and the 3rd Earl of Charlemont. 

Entries in the Irish Derby Stakes originally ran over a distance of 1 mile 6 furlongs, equivalent to that run in the St Leger Stakes. However, this was soon cut by 2 furlongs, down to the distance run in the Epsom Derby. The Irish Derby was run for almost a century before it began to attract serious attention from Europe’s top trainers. 

In the early 1960s the Irish Derby received a substantial boost in prize money which, for the first time, made it a desirable destination for the finest stables in the United Kingdom. It took just 4 years for an Epsom Derby winner to achieve the first Derby double at the Curragh, with Santa Clause winning both races in 1964.

Betting on the Irish Derby

The Irish Derby is one of the most important thoroughbred races in Europe, and attracts a selection of Europe’s finest 3-year-old thoroughbred colts, as well as the attention of racing enthusiasts across the globe. Antepost betting markets for the Irish Derby are available weeks in advance of the race.

Irish Derby betting makes for one of the safer bets in thoroughbred racing. In recent years the favourites have achieved a success rate of around 60% in the race and have placed in every race they have failed to win. This means place betting on the Irish Derby is one of the safest bets in the sport of thoroughbred racing.

Racing at the Curragh

There’s little doubt that the Irish Derby is the jewel in the crown for Curragh Racecourse. The race attracts the venue’s highest attendance figures, with tens of thousands of racing fans traveling to County Kildare to watch the race live. The racecourse lies in close proximity to the city of Dublin, which makes the venue easily accessible to racing fans in both Ireland and the United Kingdom.

Watching the Irish Derby Stakes

The Irish Derby receives extensive coverage in the media, and is one of a handful of races broadcast live, for free, by the BBC. Extensive online live coverage of the race is offered by many of the United Kingdom’s best known bookmakers, and the race can also be watched on several satellite and cable racing channels.

Other gambling in Ireland

If you are in town for the Irish Derby but want to see what casino gambling is like in Ireland, check the directory for a full list of casinos.