Was there once a ‘Welsh’ Derby?

The short answer is yes, there was, along with a Welsh Oaks and a Welsh St. Leger, although all three races have long since fallen the wayside. The first Welsh Derby was staged at Chepstow Racecourse – which, itself, had only opened the previous August – in 1927 and offered £2,000, or just over £100,000 in modern terms, in total prize money. The inaugural winner was Chantrey, trained by Alec Taylor Jr., a.k.a. ‘The Wizard of Manton’, and ridden by Belgian-born jockey Henri Jellis.

Other early winners included Artist’s Proof (1929), Epicure (1932) and Monksfield (1934), all of which were ridden by Frederick ‘Freddie’ Fox, later known as ‘The Mayor of Wantage’. Fox subsequently rode the Triple Crown-winning Bahram to victory in the 2,000 Guineas and the Derby in 1935, which was, coincidentally, the last year in which the Welsh Derby would be run before World War II.

After a lengthy hiatus, the Welsh Derby was revived in 1955, albeit with vastly reduced prize money – £600, or 30% of that offered nearly three decades earlier – and continued into sixties before disappearing, once again, from the racing calendar. The race was revived again, in 1979, under the auspices of former Beckhampton trainer Herbert Blagrave until his death in July 1981, but still did not become a permanent fixture on the Chepstow roster.

It would be fair to say that the history of the Welsh Derby is not as well-chronicled as some other now-defunct races, but I’m sure that our knowledgeable readership will correct me if I’m wrong. Although I have been unable to find confirmation that is was, in fact, the last Welsh Derby, the latest winner I could find was Carroll House, trained by Michael Jarvis and ridden by Bruce Raymond, 1988.