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Columbia Encyclopedia: Derby
(där'bē) , English horse race, instituted (1780) by the 12th earl of Derby and held annually at Epsom Downs, near London. The race is open only to three-year-old colts and fillies that must be entered when yearlings. The original course is still used; it is one yard longer than one and one-half miles. Hundreds of thousands of spectators view the race each year. Other well-known races, notably the Kentucky Derby (dûr'bē), held each year since 1875 at Churchill Downs, Louisville, Ky., have been named for the English classic.
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: Derby
One of the classic English horse races (established 1780), run in June over a 1 1/2-mi (2,400 m) course at Epsom Downs, Surrey. Many other horse races have been named for the Derby (e.g., the Kentucky Derby), and the term itself has come to signify a race or contest of any type.
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