Epsom Derby

The Derby Stakes, popularly known as The Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in England open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs Racecourse in Surrey over a distance of one mile, four furlongs and 10 yards (2,423 metres), in early June each year.

It is Britain's richest horse race, and the most prestigious of the five Classics. It is sometimes referred to as the "Blue Riband" of the turf. The race serves as the middle leg of the Triple Crown, preceded by the 2,000 Guineas and followed by the St Leger, although the feat of winning all three is now rarely attempted. The name "Derby" has become synonymous with great races all over the world, and as such has been borrowed many times, notably by the Kentucky Derby. However, the Epsom Derby is the original. It is one of Britain's great national events transcending its own field of interest, and has a huge world-wide TV audience.

In Great Britain the name "Derby" is pronounced /ˈdɑːrbi/, while in the United States it is /ˈdɜːrbi/, a case of spelling pronunciation.

Derby

Derby (ⁱ/ˈdɑːrbi/ DAR-bi, locally /ˈdɑːrbɛ/ DAR-beh) is a city and unitary authority area in the East Midlands region of England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of the county of Derbyshire, of which it is the county town. In the 2011 census, the city had a population of 248,700 and 1,543,000 in the wider metro area.

As home to Lombe's Mill, an early British factory, Derby is considered a birthplace of the Industrial Revolution. With the arrival of the railways in the 19th century, and because of its strategic central location, the city grew to become a centre of the British rail industry.

Today, Derby is an internationally renowned centre for advanced transport manufacturing, home to the world’s second largest aero-engine manufacturer, Rolls-Royce, and Derby Litchurch Lane Works—the UK's only remaining train manufacturer. The Toyota Manufacturing UK's automobile headquarters is south west of the city at Burnaston.

History

Origins

The Roman camp of 'Derventio' was probably at Little Chester/Chester Green (grid reference SK353375), the site of the old Roman fort. Later the town was one of the 'Five Boroughs' (fortified towns) of the Danelaw, until it was captured by Lady Aethelflaed of Mercia in July 917, subsequent to which the town was annexed into the Kingdom of Mercia.

Derby (1971 film)

Derby is a 1971 American documentary film directed by Robert Kaylor about the world of professional roller derby in the 1970s. The film is also known as Roller Derby in the United Kingdom.

Cast

See also

External links

List of sports rivalries

A sports rivalry is intense competition between athletic teams or athletes. This pressure of competition is felt by players, coaches, and management, but is perhaps felt strongest by the fans. The intensity of the rivalry varies from a friendly competition on one end to serious violence on the other that, in one case (the Football War), was suggested to have led to military conflicts. Owners typically encourage rivalries as they tend to improve game attendance and television ratings for rivalry matches, but a rivalry that gets out of control can lead to fighting, hooliganism, rioting and some, with career-ending or even fatal consequences. Often the topic of sports rivalries is as heated and controversial as politics and religion.