Epsom Derby Winners List, Results & Trends

• Epsom Downs Racecourse is served by three railway stations

• Only four grey horses have ever won Epsom’s finest Classic

• Ten horses trained in France have won the Derby

In 1780 Lord Derby and his friend Sir Charles Bunbury supposedly flipped a coin to decide the title of a new race. Lord Derby had the race named after him, but Sir Charles’ horse, Diomed, won the first race, run over 1 mile. 

There were just nine runners that day with Diomed being sent off the 6-4 favourite. The Derby, held at Epsom Downs Racecourse each year, distance was then extended to a mile and a half from 1784.

After its first 50 years (1780-1829), the Derby became firmly established as the premier event in the racing year.

The dramatic events of the 1913 Derby produced the most talked about chapter of the Derby’s history when suffragette Emily Davison brought down the King’s horse by running onto the course at Tattenham Corner.

The Epsom Derby has seen legendary champions etch their names into the horse racing betting annuls, with great thoroughbreds like Shergar, Nijinsky, and Galileo have left their mark on the event, achieving multiple victories and adding to the allure of this “Blue Riband” race.

The top three quickest run Derby’s over the last 20 years:

• 2010 - Workforce (2:31.33)

• 2015 - Golden Horn (2:32.32)

• 2017 - Wings Of Eagles (2:33.02)

Epsom Derby Winners Since 2000:

• 2023 - Auguste Rodin - Ryan Moore - Aidan O'Brien - 9/2

• 2022 - Desert Crown - Richard Kingscote - Sir Michael Stoute - 5/2F

• 2021 - Adayar - Adam Kiby - Charlie Appleby - 16/1

• 2020 - Serpentine - Emmet McNamara - Aidan O'Brien - 25/1

• 2019 - Anthony Van Dyk - Seamie Heffernan - Aidan O'Brien -13/2

• 2018 - Masar - William Buick - Charlie Appleby - 16/1

• 2017 - Wings Of Eagles - Padraig Beggy - Aidan O'Brien - 40/1

• 2016 - Harzand - Pat Smullen - Dermot Weld - 13/2

• 2015 - Golden Horn - Frankie Dettori - John Gosden - 13/8F

• 2014 - Australia - Joseph O'Brien - Aidan O'Brien - 11/8F

• 2013 - Ruler Of The World - Ryan Moore - Aidan O'Brien - 7/1

• 2012 - Camelot - Joseph O'Brien - Aidan O'Brien - 8/13F

• 2011 - Pour Moi - Mickael Barzalona - Andre Fabre - 4/1

• 2010 - Workforce - Ryan Moore - Sir Michael Stoute - 6/1

• 2009 - Sea The Stars - Michael Kinane - John Oxx - 11/4

• 2008 - New Approach - Kevin Manning - Jim Bolger - 5/1

• 2007 - Authorized - Frankie Dettori - Peter Chapple-Hyam - 5/4F

• 2006 - Sir Percy - Martin Dwyer - Marcus Tregoning - 6/1

• 2005 - Motivator - Johnny Murtagh - Michael Bell - 3/1F

• 2004 - North Light - Kieren Fallon - Sir Michael Stoute - 7/2JF 

• 2003 - Kris Kin - Kieren Fallon - Sir Michael Stoute - 6/1

• 2002 - High Chaparral - Johnny Murtagh - Aidan O'Brien - 7/2

• 2001 - Galileo - Michael Kinane - Aidan O'Brien - 11/4JF

• 2000 - Sinndar - Johnny Murtagh - John Oxx - 7/1

Most Successful Derby Trainer

Auguste Rodin's success last year meant that Aidan O’Brien became the most successful trainer in the history of The Derby, with the Ballydoyle maestro claiming his ninth win in the race. He'll be a red hot fancy to add to that tally this season in the Epsom Derby odds.

The most intriguing fact to come from O’Brien’s turn of the millennium dominance is that Galileo, who gave the Aidan his first victory in the Derby in 2001, has now gone on to sire four of the eight winners from the yard.

O’Brien’s list of Derby winners reads as follows: Galileo (2001), High Chaparral (2002), Camelot (2012), Ruler of the World (2013), Australia (2014), Wings of Eagles (2017), Anthony Van Dyck (2019), Serpentine (2020), Auguste Rodin (2023).

Most Successful Derby Jockey

Lester Piggott is the most successful Derby jockey of all time, winning the race an incredible nine times between 1954 and 1983.

Piggott’s Derby victories were always popular races with the horse racing commentators at the time they happened, as viewers and listeners will testify to.

In fact Piggott’s Derby record is second to none with his nine wins and four second places from 36 attempts. He first rode in the race as a 15-year-old and finished second the following year, three-quarters of a length behind the winner.

At the age of 18, he won his first Derby on Never Say Die in 1954. In 1983 Piggott was aged 47 when he won his last Derby aboard Teenoso.

Lester’s Derby roll of honour reads as follows:

1954: Never Say Die (33-1), 1957: Crepello (6-4 fav), 1960: St Paddy (7-1), 1968: Sir Ivor (4-5 fav) 1970: Nijinsky (11-8 fav), 1972: Roberto (3-1 fav), 1976: Empery (10-1), 1977: The Minstrel (5-1), 1983: Teenoso (9-2 fav).

Leading Epsom Derby Owners

Sue Magnier and Michael Tabor are the most successful owners in the history of the Derby, having been involved together with nine winners.

The pair co-owned Galileo (2001), High Chaparral (2002), Pour Moi (2011), Camelot (2012), Ruler Of The World (2013), Australia (2014), Wings of Eagles (2017), Anthony Van Dyck (2019) and Serpentine (2020), as well as co-owning Auguste Rodin (2023).

Derrick Smith was also the co-owner of Pour Moi, Camelot, Ruler Of The World and Australia. Magnier, Tabor and Smith were the first owners to enjoy four consecutive winners.

The trio have done really well in the English Classics over the years.

Epsom Derby Winners Trends

• Age: Only three-year-olds are eligible to run.

• Price: 3/10 winners were favourite/joint favourite, 6/10 came from the top three in the betting.

• Draw: 8 of the last 10 winners were drawn in stall 7 or higher.

• Previous Run: 10/10 winners ran in the last 35 days or less, 7/10 winners won on their last start before The Derby, 10/10 winners at least placed on their last run before The Derby

• 4/10 winners ran in the 2000 Guineas on their last run, 1 of the 3 won, 2 placed.

• 2/10 winners ran in the Dante Stakes on their last run, 1 of the 2 won, 1 placed.

• 2/10 winners ran in the Chester Vase on their last run, 1 of the 2 won, 1 placed.

• 2/12 winners ran in the Derby Trial Stakes on their last run, 1 of the 2 won, 1 placed.

• Course Form: None of the last 10 winners had run or won at Epsom before.

• Distance Form: 8/10 winners had at least one previous start over 10-12 furlongs, 6/10 winners had at least one previous win over 10-12 furlongs.

• Rating: 10/10 winners were rated 109 or higher.

• Group Wins: 8/10 winners had at least one win in a Group 1-3 race.

• Season Form: 10/10 winners had at least one run that season, 8/10 had at least one win that season.

Epsom Derby Facts

• The fastest winning time was by Workforce (2010) in 2m 31.33s.

• The biggest winning margin was 10 lengths, Shergar (1981).

• Longest odds winners – Jeddah (1898), Signorinetta (1908) & Aboyeur (1913) all came in at 100/1 in the horse racing odds.

• The shortest odds winner was Ladas in 1894 at a miserly 2/9.

• The most runners to run in the Derby was 34 in 1862.

• The fewest runners the Derby has ever seen was in 1794 when just 4 competitors went to post.

• French-trained challengers have been successful 10 times, with Pour Moi (2011) the last French raider to score.

• The most recent Yorkshire-trained winner of the Derby was Dante in 1945. The Matt Peacock- trained colt won a war-time Derby staged at Newmarket.

• No woman has ever trained the winner of the Derby and Elaine Burke became only the seventh woman ever to have a runner in the Classic in 2013.

• These are the stallions whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the Epsom Derby: Galileo (5 Wins) Montjeu (4 Wins) Cape Cross (2 Wins) Sadlers Wells (2 Wins).

*Credit for the photos in this article belongs to Alamy*