150 years of the Irish Derby
FIRST run in 1866, the Irish Derby at the Curragh is now one of the world’s most prestigious horse races, an event which customarily attracts the top horses from England and France as well as Ireland.
The roll of honour includes many of the all-time greats of racing history – among them Ballymoss, Nijinsky, Shergar, El Gran Senor, and more recently Montjeu, Sinndar, Galileo, High Chaparral and Hurricane Run.
On the human front, the race’s history is populated by such figures as: ‘Boss’ Croker,, whose name became a synonym for political corruption in New York and whose horse Orby in 1907 was the first to win both the Epsom Derby and the Irish Derby; Joe McGrath, whose enterprise in the early 1960s transformed the race into a major international event; Bing Crosby, who delivered an impromptu rendition of ‘When Irish Eyes Are Smiling’ in the winner’s enclosure after Meadow Court, a horse he co-owned, won the 1965 race; Vincent O’Brien, greatest of all trainers, who won the Irish Derby six times and whose brother Phonsie trained the 1960 winner, and Aidan O’Brien,, whose domination of the race in recent years – eleven winners between 1997 and 2014 – forms one of the most remarkable records in the sport.
These images are from a new book celebrating the 150th running of the race. Written by Sean Magee with Guy St John Williams and Francis P.M. Hyland, The Irish Derby, Celebrating the 150th Running of Ireland’s Greatest Race is published by Racing Post Books. Superbly illustrated, it features an extensive section of images, stories and race results and is a fitting tribute to Ireland’s flagship race in its 150th running.