Derby Stakes.

Started by Edward Smith Stanley, the twelfth Earl of Derby, in 1780, the year after his establishment of the Oaks stakes (q.v.).

The Derby Day is the day when the Derby stakes are run for; it is the second Wednesday of the great Epsom Spring Meeting, in May.

The Derby Day.

⁂ The Derby, the Oaks, and the St. Leger are called “The Classic Races.” The Oaks is the classic race for fillies only, three yearsʹ old (£1,000); the Derby (Darby) for colts and fillies three yearsʹ old; the St. Leger for colts and fillies, those which have run in the Oaks or Derby being eligible.

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Entry taken from Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, edited by the Rev. E. Cobham Brewer, LL.D. and revised in 1895.