The Canadian Derby is a Canadian

Thoroughbred horse race Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in ...

run annually at the

Century Mile Racetrack and Casino Century Mile Racetrack and Casino is a casino and horse racing facility in Leduc County, Alberta, next to the Edmonton International Airport. It is one of two "A-level" horse racing venues in the province of Alberta, and the only one-mile racetrac ...

Leduc County Leduc County is a municipal district in Alberta, Canada that is immediately south of the City of Edmonton. It spans east to west and north to south, and has a population of 14,416. The municipal district is home to prairie parkland and several ...

, Alberta. A Grade III event held in August, it is open to three-year-old horses and is raced on dirt over a distance of one mile and a quarter (10

furlong A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one eighth of a mile, equivalent to 660 feet, 220 yards, 40 rods, 10 chains or approximately 201 metres. It is now mostly confined to use in hors ...

s). The race was the creation of future

Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame was established in 1976 to honour those who have made a significant contribution to the sport of harness and Thoroughbred horse racing in Canada. It is located at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario. The H ...

inductee R. James Speers and first run in 1930 at his

Polo Park Racetrack The Polo Park Racetrack was a Canadian horse racing facility in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Considered one of the finest racetracks in Western Canada, it was built by Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductee R. James Speers. The six-furlong track o ...

Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

. Inaugurated as the Manitoba Stakes, it was restricted to Manitoba-bred horses until 1936 when the race was renamed the Manitoba Derby and made open to three-year-old horses bred in Canada. In 1941, the name was changed again to its present form as the Canadian Derby. In 1942, future Canadian and U.S. Racing Hall of Fame jockey

Johnny Longden John Eric "Johnny" Longden (February 14, 1907 – February 14, 2003) was an American Hall of Fame and National Champion jockey and a trainer of Thoroughbred racehorses who was born in Wakefield, Yorkshire, England. His father emigrated to Can ...

won this race. As the Canadian Derby grew in prestige and its purse money increased, top horses from

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

and

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

began coming west to compete in the race. In 1937 Goldlure won Canada's most prestigious race, the

King's Plate The King's Plate (known as the Queen's Plate between 1860 to 1901 and 1952 to 2022) is Canada's oldest Thoroughbred horse race, having been founded in 1860. It is also the oldest continuously run race in North America. It is run at a distance of ...

. For owner

Harry Hatch Harold Clifford "Harry" Hatch (1884–1946) was a millionaire industrialist from Prince Edward County, Ontario specializing in the business of wine and spirits. Hatch started out with a small liquor store in Whitby, Ontario and prospered to t ...

, trainer Bill Bringloe would later ship the colt 1,300 miles by

rail transport Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a p ...

from Toronto and win the Derby.

Budpath {{Infobox racehorse , horsename = Budpath , image = Budpath.tif , caption = Racehorse Budpath , sire = Buddy Bauer , grandsire = North Star , dam = Luress , damsire = Sweepster , sex = Stallion , foaled = 1938 ...

, another King's Plate winner, won the 1941 edition of the Canadian Derby. However, not all eastern-based horses have fared so well. In 1942, Ten To Ace was shipped in from Toronto by leading owner/trainer Harry Giddings Jr. The colt had won the King's Plate as well as the Prince of Wales Stakes and according to ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...

'' magazine was being called "the greatest Canadian horse of all time." Not only was Ten To Ace defeated in the Canadian Derby, he finished dead last. In 1956, Polo Park Racetrack was closed and the race was moved to

Northlands Park Northlands Park was the "Alberta A circuit" horse racing track at Northlands in Edmonton, Alberta. The horse racing season generally consisted of a spring harness (Standardbred) meet from February/March, a Thoroughbred meet from May/June to Sep ...

in Edmonton, Alberta. In 2019, the race moved to its present location at the Century Mile Racetrack and Casino south of Edmonton. The Canadian Derby was contested at 1 mile from 1930 to 1933, miles from 1934 to 1956, and miles from 1957 until 2018. The race returned to miles in 2019 when it was moved to Century Mile Racetrack. In 2017, Chief Know It All finished first but the jockey of runner-up Double Bear filed a claim of interference. When the claim was rejected by track stewards the matter was appealed to the Alberta Horse Racing Appeal Tribunal which in July 2018 ruled in favour of the owner of Double Bear. An appeal of the Tribunal's order resulted in an August 2018

Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta The Court of King's Bench of Alberta (abbreviated in citations as ABKB or Alta. K.B.) is the superior court of the Canadian province of Alberta. Until 2022, it was named Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta. The Court of Queen's Bench in Calgary wa ...

ruling that Chief Know It All had interfered and declared Double Bear the winner.

Records

Most wins by a

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...

: * 6 - Rico Walcott (2010, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2022) Most wins by an owner: * 3 -

Harry C. Hatch Harold Clifford "Harry" Hatch (1884–1946) was a millionaire industrialist from Prince Edward County, Ontario specializing in the business of wine and spirits. Hatch started out with a small liquor store in Whitby, Ontario and prospered to t ...

(1936, 1937, 1941)

Winners of the Canadian Derby since 1996

Earlier winners

*1995 - Sovacianto *1994 - Funboy *1993 - Cozzy Grey *1992 - Josh's Hero *1991 - Sounds Fabulous *1990 - Hurricane Benny *1989 - Haveigotadealforu *1988 - Elmtex *1987 -

Steady Power {{Infobox racehorse , horsename = Steady Power , image = , caption = , sire = Steady Growth , grandsire = Briartic , dam = Pyramid Power , damsire = Upper Nile , sex = Gelding , foaled = 1984 , country = Canada , colour = Chestnut , ...

*1986 - Slyly Gifted *1985 - Polynesian Flyer *1984 - Let's Go Blue *1983 - Victorious Lad *1982 - Exclusive Canadian *1981 - Frost King *1980 - Driving Home *1979 - All For Victory *1978 - Canadian Bill *1977 - Western Reason *1976 - Laissez Passer *1975 - Pampas Host *1974 - Progressive Hope *1973 - Wing Span *1972 - Winning Red *1971 - Kim's Kid *1970 - Swinging Apache *1969 - Wyn D'Amour *1968 - Son Costume *1967 - Gilmore *1966 - Klondike Prince *1965 - Chariot Chaser *1964 - Quick Quick *1963 - Brother Leo *1962 - Western Morn *1961 - Galindo *1961 - General C *1960 - Count Lathum *1959 - Sonoma *1958 - Percy Yates *1957 - Spangled Jimmy *1956 - Argent *1955 - Loyalist *1954 - Treheme *1953 -

Chain Reaction A chain reaction is a sequence of reactions where a reactive product or by-product causes additional reactions to take place. In a chain reaction, positive feedback leads to a self-amplifying chain of events. Chain reactions are one way that syst ...

*1952 - Lord Strome *1951 - Beau Orage *1950 - Sir Strome *1949 - Yates Senior *1948 - Victory Gift *1947 - Sir Berrill *1946 - Palermo *1945 - Ferry Pilot *1944 - Gower Mon *1943 - Western Prince *1942 - Maginot Line *1941 -

*1940 - Sir Trapseth *1939 - Larry Eckardt *1938 - Gowerlace *1937 - Goldlure *1936 - Sweepden *1935 - Nellie Quince *1934 - Caramar *1933 - Carhan Queen *1932 - Lady Marnock *1931 - Parisienne *1930 - Jack Whittier

Notes

References

* Wilson, Keith & Lussier, Antoine S. ''Off And Running - Horse Racing in Manitoba'' (1978) Peguis Publishers Limited {{ISBN, 0-919566-61-8
The Canadian Derby at Pedigree Query
Graded stakes races in Canada Horse races in Canada Flat horse races for three-year-olds Leduc County Recurring events established in 1930 1930 establishments in Manitoba Summer events in Canada

Records

Winners of the Canadian Derby since 1996

Earlier winners

See also

Notes

References