According to legend the decision was made by the toss of a coin, but it is probable that Bunbury, the Steward of the Jockey Club, deferred to his host.

Lord Derby achieved his first success in the event in 1787, with a horse called Sir Peter Teazle.

[7] Initially, the Derby was run on a Thursday in late May or early June, depending on when Easter occurred.

The winner, Running Rein, was disqualified on discovery that a four-year-old imposter, a horse by the name Maccabeus, had been substituted in his place as part of a betting coup.

[13] For many years the Derby was run on a Wednesday or a Thursday and on the day huge crowds would come from London, not only to see the race but to enjoy other entertainment (during some of the 19th century and most of the 20th, Parliament would adjourn to allow members to attend the meeting).

They were located at the Tattenham Corner end of the grounds and the fair was on for ten days and entertained hundreds of thousands.

[17] During the latter half of the 20th century, Derby Day became less popular and the race was moved from Wednesday to Saturday in 1995 with the hope of reviving high attendance.

[14] As the number of people attending the fair dwindled in the face of competition for attention and changing tastes, its length was reduced from 10 days to three or four.

[19] The walk-in nature of the Hill typically sees Derby attendances exceed 100,000 spectators, making it one of the largest sporting events in the United Kingdom.

[21] Cazoo declined an option to extend their sponsorship[22] and in April 2023 the bookmaker Betfred agreed a three-year deal to sponsor the Derby and Oaks.

[24] Winning distances are shown in lengths or shorter (dh = dead-heat; shd = short-head; hd = head; snk = short-neck; nk = neck).