30-412: Smirke is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: Charlie Smirke , British jockey Edward Smirke (1795–1875), English lawyer and antiquary Robert Smirke (painter) Robert Smirke (architect) , son of Robert Smirke the painter Sydney Smirke , son of Robert Smirke the painter [REDACTED] Surname list This page lists people with
60-698: A fairground in operation on the Friday and Saturday. 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. In 2021 and 2022 the race, along with seven other races at the Derby festival, was sponsored by Cazoo . Cazoo declined an option to extend their sponsorship and in April 2023 the bookmaker Betfred agreed
90-512: A race at Gatwick. The racecourse stewards took the view that Smirke had made no attempt to start the race and reported him to the Jockey Club . In September, Smirke's riding licence was revoked and he was banned from any involvement in racing (“warned off”). Smirke's ban lasted for five years, during which time he supported himself with a variety of menial jobs, including acting as a sparring partner for professional boxers. Smirke's licence
120-485: A three-year deal to sponsor the Derby and Oaks. Investec was the previous sponsor of the Derby between 2009 and 2020. The race was previously backed by Ever Ready (1984–94) and Vodafone (1995–2008). Winning distances are shown in lengths or shorter ( dh = dead-heat; shd = short-head; hd = head; snk = short-neck; nk = neck). 49. Kevin McCarthy and Michael Church's 17 page Academic Essay, "Where did
150-674: Is a memorial to him at the rear of Randalls Park Crematorium. In 1999, the Racing Post ranked him fifth in their list of the Top 50 jockeys of the 20th century and the greatest never to have been Champion Jockey. Epsom Derby The Derby Stakes , also known as the Derby or the Epsom Derby , is a Group 1 flat horse race in England open to three-year-old colts and fillies . It
180-421: Is different from Wikidata All set index articles Charlie Smirke Charles James William Smirke (1906–1993), was a British flat-race jockey. In a career that lasted from 1920 until 1959, he rode the winners of eleven British Classic Races . As a rider, he was known for his skill, strength and tactical intelligence, together with his self-confident and outspoken personality. Although he never won
210-633: Is often used in the United States and elsewhere, in order to differentiate The Derby from other races such as the Irish Derby or German Derby . The Derby run at Epsom is usually referred to as "the Derby" in Great Britain. It is one of Britain's great national sporting events and has a large worldwide TV audience. The Stanley family, Earls of Derby, had a long history of horse-racing, and James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby , who gained
240-531: Is run at Epsom Downs Racecourse in Surrey on the first Saturday of June each year, over a distance of one mile, four furlongs and 10 yards (2,423 metres), or about 1½ miles. It was first run in 1780. It is Britain's richest flat horse race, and the most prestigious of the five Classics . It is sometimes referred to as the "Blue Riband" of the turf. The race serves as the middle leg of the historically significant Triple Crown of British horse racing, preceded by
270-690: The 2000 Guineas and followed by the St ;Leger , although the feat of winning all three is rarely attempted in the modern era due to changing priorities in racing and breeding, and the demands it places on horses. The name "Derby" (deriving from the sponsorship of the Earl of Derby ) has been borrowed many times, notably by the Kentucky Derby in the United States, and to describe many other key racing and sporting events. The term "Epsom Derby"
300-626: The Championship , he was regarded as one of the best jockeys of his era. The Racing Post ranked him as the fifth greatest jockey of the 20th Century and the greatest never to have been champion. Charlie Smirke was born in Lambeth , a working-class district of London in 1906. His family had no racing connections, his father being a fruit and fish dealer. After leaving school at the age of thirteen, Smirke left home to become an apprentice jockey. He has living children and grandchildren. Smirke
330-525: The Maharaja of Baroda for two seasons, winning the 2000 Guineas on My Babu before resuming his association with the Aga Khan in 1949. He appeared in the 1951 comedy film The Galloping Major as himself. Among his most significant winners in this phase of his career were Palestine (2000 Guineas) and Tulyar (Derby, St Leger) before his contract ended at the end of 1952. Riding as a freelance, he won
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#1732801399188360-548: The Queen's Vase . During his time as an apprentice jockey, Smirke became an accomplished amateur boxer, an achievement which would prove useful in later years. Smirke rode 314 winners during his apprenticeship and was Champion Apprentice in 1925 and 1926. In 1928, the year after leaving his apprenticeship, Smirke became stable jockey for the Newmarket trainer Victor Gilpin. In August, his mount, Welcome Gift refused to start in
390-460: The Washington, D.C. International Stakes on Worden and the 1954 St.Leger on Never Say Die (replacing the suspended Lester Piggott ). In 1957, Smirke was riding for the Aga Khan yet again and moved to France where most of the owner's horses were based, but, although he won the 1000 Guineas on Rose Royale, he was unable to establish a working relationship with Alec Head , and the arrangement
420-409: The surname Smirke . If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name (s) to the link. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Smirke&oldid=1085607168 " Category : Surnames Hidden categories: Articles with short description Short description
450-524: The world wars ; from 1915 to 1918 and from 1940 to 1945, the Derby was run at Newmarket as the 'New Derby'. With the race's close association with gambling, the most controversial running of the Epsom Derby took place in 1844. 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. The Derby has inspired many similar events around
480-478: The Aga Khan who retained him as his first jockey for the following year. Despite a difficult working relationship with the Aga Khan's trainer, Frank Butters , Smirke enjoyed further success when winning the 1936 Derby on Mahmoud . At the outbreak of war in 1939, the Aga Khan moved his horses from Newmarket, but Smirke continued to ride important winners including the St Leger on Turkhan in 1940. In 1941, Smirke
510-409: The Derby became the world's first outdoor sporting event to be televised. There is a maximum of 20 runners allowed in the race. Since the 1993 edition, The Derby has introduced yearling entry. The system were canceled from 2024 edition and 2022 during COVID-19 pandemic. 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
540-427: The Derby was run on a Thursday in late May or early June, depending on when Easter occurred. In 1838 the race was moved to a Wednesday to fit in with the railways' timetables , but still followed the moveable feast of Easter. In the 20th century, the race was run mainly on a Wednesday in late May or early June until 1994, after which it was changed to a Saturday in early June. From 1915 to 1918 (during World War I ), it
570-820: The Lordship of Mann in 1627, instituted horse-racing on the Langness Peninsula on the Isle of Man , donating a cup for what became known as the " Manx Derby ". The Derby originated at a celebration following the first running of the Oaks Stakes in 1779. A new race was planned, and it was decided that it should be named after either the host of the party, the 12th Earl of Derby , or one of his guests, Sir Charles Bunbury (the Bunbury Cup run at Newmarket would later be named in his honour). According to legend
600-488: The Oaks to the current distance of 1½ miles in 1784. Lord Derby achieved his first success in the event in 1787, with a horse called Sir Peter Teazle . The starting point of the race was moved twice during the 19th century. The first move, suggested by Lord George Bentinck , was in 1848, and the second was in 1872. It was discovered in 1991 that the exact length of the race was one mile, four furlongs and 10 yards. Initially,
630-484: 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. The inaugural running of the Derby was held on Thursday 4 May 1780. It was won by Diomed , a colt owned by Sir Charles Bunbury, who collected prize money of £1,065 15s. The first four runnings were contested over the last mile of the old Orbicular course <49>, this extended in line with
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#1732801399188660-412: 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. 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. Today, the free-admission Hill still provides a festival atmosphere with
690-429: 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). By the time that Charles Dickens visited Epsom Downs to view the race in the 1850s, entertainers such as musicians, clowns, and conjurers plied their trades and entertained the crowds; other forms of entertainment included coconut stalls. The crowded meeting
720-855: The world. European variations include the Derby Italiano , the Deutsches Derby , the Irish Derby and the Prix du Jockey Club (popularly known in the British Isles as the "French Derby"). Several races in the United States include the "Derby" name, including the oldest, the Kentucky Derby . Other national equivalents include the Australian Derby , the New Zealand Derby , and the Japanese Derby . In 1931,
750-590: Was apprenticed to the trainer Stanley Wootton at his Treadwell House stable at Epsom . He had his first ride in 1920 riding at a weight of 89 pounds . He recorded his first win at the age of fifteen in April 1922. While still an apprentice, Smirke rode regularly for leading owners, accepting retainers from Solomon Joel , the Maharaja of Rajpipla and the Aga Khan and winning races such as the Chester Cup and
780-471: Was called up for military service and spent the next four years in the Army, serving as an anti-aircraft gunner and a driver. When the war ended, he resumed his riding career at the age of thirty-eight. Smirke had no regular stable after the war but had immediate success as a freelance. In 1946, he re-established himself as a leading jockey with a series of wins on the outstanding sprinter The Bug . He rode for
810-491: Was on a Tuesday, with the race's latest ever date being 31 July 1917. From 1942 to 1945 (during World War II ), 1947 to 1950, and in 1953, the race was run on a Saturday. From 1969 to 1994, it was on the first Wednesday in June. From 2003 to at least 2022, it has been on the first Saturday in June, apart from a race on 4 July 2020 without spectators, owing to COVID-19 . The Derby has been run at Epsom in all years except during
840-601: Was restored in October 1933. Within a year, he had reached the top of his profession by winning the Derby for the Vijayasinhji Chhatrasinhji , the Maharaja of Rajpipla on Windsor Lad and completing a classic double on the same horse (by now co-owned by Martin H. Benson ) with his triumph in the St Leger . In 1935, he added a second St Leger on Bahram (substituting for the injured Freddie Fox ) for
870-458: Was soon ended. By then over fifty, and without a regular contract, Smirke had fewer rides in his last three years, but retained much of his ability. He rode only three winners in 1958, but they included his fourth Derby on Hard Ridden . Smirke retired at the end of the 1959 season. He had little contact with the racing world after his retirement, devoting much of his time to golf. Smirke died at Leatherhead , Surrey on 20 December 1993. There
900-514: Was the subject of a painting by William Powell Frith painted in the 1858 and titled The Derby Day ; critics have noted that the foreground of the painting features the entertainment attractions, while the racing is relegated to the margins. In the 1870s, the steam-driven rides were introduced. They were located at the Tattenham Corner end of the grounds and the fair was on for ten days and entertained hundreds of thousands. During
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