Trial races for the Epsom Derby are horse races during April and May which are contested by three-year-olds likely to run in the Derby in early June.
Most Derby runners appear in at least one race in the weeks before the event, although some, such as the winners Lammtarra and Shaamit, may arrive at Epsom with no previous run as a three-year-old.
The leading trial of recent years has been the Dante Stakes, which has been contested by seven subsequent winners of the Derby in the last 31 years. The following table shows any race classed at Listed level or above which served as a trial for a Derby winner during the period 1992 to 2023.
Race | Derby winners from race 1992–2023 (won unless stated) | |
Pour Moi (3rd) | ||
Erhaab (2nd), Golden Horn | ||
Dr Devious (2nd), Masar | ||
Sinndar (2nd), Galileo, High Chaparral, Harzand | ||
Benny the Dip (2nd), Adayar (2nd) | ||
Sir Percy (2nd), New Approach (2nd), Sea the Stars, Camelot, Australia (3rd), Masar (3rd), Auguste Rodin (12th), City Of Troy (9th) | ||
Dr Devious (7th) | ||
Oath, Kris Kin | ||
High-Rise, Anthony Van Dyck, Adayar (2nd) | ||
Pour Moi | ||
Ruler of the World, Wings of Eagles (2nd) | ||
Sinndar, Galileo, High Chaparral | ||
Erhaab, Benny the Dip, North Light, Motivator, Authorized, Workforce (2nd), Golden Horn, Desert Crown | ||
Glasgow Stakes(No longer a trial) | ||
New Approach (2nd) | ||
Unraced as 3-y-o | Lammtarra, Shaamit | |
Winners on maiden | Serpentine |