Leopardstown Derby Trial


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The Leopardstown Derby Trial, currently run as the Cashel Palace Hotel Derby Trial, is a Group 3 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbreds. It is run over a distance of 1 mile and 2 furlongs (2,012 metres) at Leopardstown in May.

History
Established in 1971, the event was originally called the Nijinsky Stakes. It was named after Nijinsky, the previous year's Irish-trained English Triple Crown winner.

For a period the Nijinsky Stakes held Group 2 status. It was open to older horses for several years from the mid-1970s.

The race was renamed the Derby Trial Stakes in 1984. From this point it was sponsored by Derrinstown Stud. It was downgraded to Group 3 level in the early 1990s, and promoted back to Group 2 in 2003. It was downgraded again to Group 3 status in 2014. Derrinstown Stud's sponsorship ended after the 2021 race and there was no sponsor in 2022 or 2023. Since 2024 the race has been sponsored by Cashel Palace Hotel.

The Derby Trial can serve as a trial for the Epsom Derby. The last horse to win both races was High Chaparral in 2002. The last winner to achieve victory in the Irish Derby was Los Angeles in 2024.

The title "Nijinsky Stakes" was later assigned to a different race at Leopardstown, a Listed event for three-year-olds in June which is now run as the King George V Cup.

Records
Leading jockey (8 wins):
 * Christy Roche – Ballymore (1973), Noelino (1979), Toca Madera (1986), St Jovite (1992), Perfect Imposter (1993), Truth or Dare (1996), Ashley Park (1997), Risk Material (1998)

Leading trainer (16 wins):
 * Aidan O'Brien – Risk Material (1998), Galileo (2001), High Chaparral (2002), Yeats (2004), Dylan Thomas (2006), Archipenko (2007), Fame and Glory (2009), Midas Touch (2010), Recital (2011), Battle of Marengo (2013), Douglas Macarthur (2017), Broome (2019), Cormorant (2020), Bolshoi Ballet (2021), Stone Age (2022), Los Angeles (2024)