Troy Town are favorites for this afternoon's Epsom Derby. Photo: PA Wire/David Davis
The Derby is the biggest race of the Flat season and the most important of the British classics.
Officially for three-year-old colts and mares – although the latter rarely compete – the race is run over one mile four furlongs. and 10 yards at Epsom Downs, a particularly undulating course with a pronounced slope towards the tracks at the finish line.
Epsom Derby 2024 live: Latest updates and full card results ahead of the big race. Read more
The Derby is the third of five classic races of British racing. The others are the Oaks, which is for mares only and is held the day before at Epsom, the 2000 Guineas, the 1000 Guineas (both at Newmarket) and the St Leger at Doncaster.
The richest horse races in Britain have been running since 1780. This year they will be the highlight of a two-day festival at Epsom Downs Racecourse and will attract an estimated 130,000 spectators. The Derby has been held annually for 243 years, but was moved to Newmarket between 1915-18 and 1940-45.
This year's race is worth £1.5 million and the winner takes home £850,650 in prize money. Check out the latest odds here and read from Marcus Armytage on Roger Thiel, the coach looking to upset some of the sport's richest yards.
We have a separate guide to the confirmed list of runners and riders. < /p>
Epsom Derby 2024 runners and riders: full list of horses Read more What date is the Epsom Derby?
This year's race will take place today, Saturday 1 June, on the second day of the Betfred Derby Festival. The Oaks and Coronation Cup will take place today.
The Epsom Derby is the richest race on the British racing calendar, with the potential to leave a mark on racing history and bring significant financial rewards in the form of prize money and future stable value.
What time does the race start?
This year the race will return to its normal start time of 4:30 p.m. Last year the race was moved earlier to avoid a direct clash with the FA Cup final.
Which TV channel is this on?
The race will be shown live on ITV1 and will also be available via Racing TV subscription. By law, the Derby is one of only two races that must be shown on free-to-air television in the UK. The other is the Grand National.
Will the King and Queen have horses to race?
The King and Queen won't have a runner in the Derby this year, but could potentially have a horse in both the Coronation Cup and Oaks running Today.
There has never been a Royal Derby winner. The closest it came was in 1953, when Halo finished second just days after Queen Elizabeth II's coronation.
Who is the most successful current trainer?
Aidan O'Brien is the most successful trainer in Derby's 243 years , winning nine times, along with Galileo (2001), High Chaparral (2002), Camelot (2012), Ruler of the World (2013), Australia (2014). , Wings of Eagles (2017), Anthony Van Dyck (2019), Serpentine (2020) and Auguste Rodin (2023).
O'Brien has plenty of odds on for this year's race, with five of the top 10 on the market trained at his Tipperary yard.
Full details of this year's entries can be found in our Runners' and Riders' Guide.
Which horse won last year?
Last year's race was won at 9/2 by Auguste Roden, trained by Aidan O'Brien and owned by Mrs John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith.
There can never be repeat winners of the Derby as the race is only for three-year-olds.
What are the latest odds?
- City of Troy 10/30
- Ancient Wisdom2/11< /li>
- Friendly Atmosphere1/6
- Los Angeles 6 /1
- Dancing Twins9/1
- Macduff11/1
- Bellum Justum1/22
- Deira Mile1/25
- Voyage1/25
< li>Euphoria33/1
Updated June 1st – Odds courtesy of Bet365
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Minnow takes on Epsom racing giants 8c3d-3f9172fa46c0.html?direct=true&id=9d28ee19-7b5b-4ab0-8c3d-3f9172fa46c0' class='tmg-particle embed wrp-9d28ee19-7b5b-4ab0-8c3d-3f9172fa46c0' title='Marcus Armytage, Racing Correspond data- business-type='editorial' loading='eager' scroll='no' Frameborder='0'allow='web-share' style='width: 100%; min-width: 100%; border: none; position: relative; display: block; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;'>
In the modern era, when large trainers have over 250 horses, small yards with fewer than 50 horses winning the Derby are rare; in the last half century, perhaps only Peter Chapple-Hyam has achieved this twice.
But today Roger Teale, who trains 45 horses at Lambourn, is set to play David against training giants Goliaths when he saddles Dansing. Twins at Epsom Classic. Aidan O'Brien probably went into this Derby with so many entries.
However, this is not some hopeless tilting at windmills. The colt, who gave Teal Butterflies before his debut a year ago, has arguably the best form of any three-year-old horse in racing, finishing second in the Group One French 2000 Guineas on his last start. .
Teal, who turns 57 this week and shares a birthday with Dancing Gemini's owner-breeder David Fish, has always punched above his weight; Tip two. The win was second in the 2,000 Guineas, while his sprinter Oxted, who is still in the yard, won the July Group One Cup and the King's Stand Stakes.
“I don't know if I feel awkward. When I look at the names (of other trainers) on the list, you can start to doubt yourself and ask yourself whether you should be there,” he says. “But I asked my wife Sue, 'Can we win the Derby?'”
After finishing second in the over-mile classic, there are those who wonder if Dancing Twin is showing too much speed to truly run a mile and a half, but as Teal points out, his sire Camelot has won the Guineas and the Derby and has just been beaten in the St Leger, and there is no shortage of stamina on the dam side.
“A Derby winner has to be able to move, he is not won by hard workers,” he says. “It works on soft ground, but if the rain continues it could test its endurance even more. If he stays relaxed as usual, I think he'll get it.”
When he was working as an amateur rider for Philip Mitchell, who was based at Epsoms Downs House, a quarter of a mile from the Derby start, he saw a lot of horses passing by, all excited about it.
“We were leaning over railings two furlongs after the start, watched them go by, and then ran inside to watch the rest of the race on TV at home,” he recalls.
Ironically, he competed in the amateur derby there, but he has more track experience than Dancing Gemini jockey Dylan Brown Monagle, one of Irish racing's rising stars, although Teal doesn't see that as a problem. “He's very talented and very confident, which I like,” he says.
He started training in 2007, the last four of which were at Windsor House, one of Lambourn's luckiest shipyards, according to In things like this, the man who learned to ride his Shetland pony while playing The Lone Ranger is happy to have done all he could to prepare the Dancing Twins. That included taking him for a ride around the track last week.
His biggest concern is that his colt is knocked down by one of the inexperienced horses, which, despite the openness of the race, probably shouldn't be done. there. But victory? He doesn't even dare think about winning.
“I'll start worrying about it if it happens,” he says. But it's fair to assume that if he does this, then in addition to the horse there will be at least two more dancing twins.
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