The 100th running of the Irish Derby was held on Saturday 26th June 1965 over 1 mile 4 furlongs of The Curragh. Subscriptions were £270 with a pot of £30,000 added. The winner was owned by Mr G Maxwell Bell, bred in Ireland by Mrs E Parker Poe, trained by Paddy Prendergast at Rossmore Lodge and ridden by Lester Piggott. The winner won by 2 lengths in 2 minutes 46.8 seconds, with 3/4 length between second and third.

IRISH DERBY 1965

MEADOW COURT (Chestnut colt by Court Harwell out of Meadow Music) SR 2031

The winning owner won £55,900, (The equivalent of £1,029,000 in today's terms based on Bank of England inflation calculator).

The Youtube link below is a 1 minute 6 second clip of the 1965 Irish Derby https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xc7sm-4wTT0
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Pos. Horse Weight Jockey Owner Trainer
1 MEADOW COURT 9.0 Lester Piggott Mr G Maxwell Bell Paddy Prendergast
2 CONVAMORE 9.0 Jimmy Lindley Mr Rory More O'Ferrall Ron Smyth
3 WEDDING PRESENT 9.0 Bill Williamson 7th Earl Donoughmore John Oxx
4 BALLYMARAIS 9.0 Brian Connorton Mr W T Stoker William Gray
5 JEALOUS 9.0 Bill Rickaby Princess Elizabeth Oettingen-Spielberg John Oxx
6 ZEND AVESTA 9.0 Jean Massard Mr Terrence Gray Michael Hurley
7 KHALIFE 9.0 Peader Matthews Mrs Mary Hecht Paddy Prendergast
8 WESTERN WIND 9.0 Liam Ward Mrs Anne Biddle et al Michael Dawson
9 NIKSAR 9.0 Roger Poincelet Mr Wilfred Harvey Walter Nightingall
10 SIERRA DE MIZAS 9.0 C James Mulhall Mr Seamus McGrath Seamus McGrath
11 SCRAPANI 9.0 Bill Pyers Mr Charles Clore M Vincent O'Brien
12 BALLYCIPTIC 9.0 George McGrath Mr Joseph McGrath Seamus McGrath
13 FLAMING RED 9.0 John Roe Mr Michael Kennedy Patrick Norris
14 MABROUK 9.0 T P Burns Mr Rex Beaumont Kevin Bell
15 GA-GREINE 9.0 Patrick Powell jnr Comte Antoine de Laubespin Michael Hurley
16 BEDDARD 9.0 Patrick Sullivan Mr R S Reynolds jnr Stuart Murless
17 DONATO 9.0 Scobie Breasley Countess de la Valdene M Vincent O'Brien
18 INDIAN SNOW 9.0 Garnet Bougoure Mr Joseph McGrath Seamus McGrath
19 BALJOUR 9.0 Jack Purtell Mr John McShain M Vincent O'Brien
20 SOLWEZI 9.0 Willie Robinson Mrs D Archer Houblon Patrick Mullins
21 KILCORAN 9.0 Michael Kennedy Mr Herbert Kerr Kevin R Kerr
  Betting

JOCKEY PROFILE
Lester Keith Piggott was born in Wantage on 5th November 1935 into a family steeped in racing history. Ernie Piggott, Lester's grandfather, owned The Old Manor racing stables in Letcombe Regis and rode 3 Grand National winners in 1912, 1918 and 1919, while Keith Piggott, Lester's father owned South Bank Stables in Lambourn. Piggott could legitimately lay claim to be the greatest jockey of the 20th century with 4493 wins, if not of all time, and his 30 English Classic winners are too numerous to list in a brief article. However, he did win the Epsom Derby on 9 occasions; in 1954 Never Say Die (SR 2124), 1957 Crepello (SR 2109), 1960 St Paddy (SR 2047), 1968 Sir Ivor (SR 2092), 1970 Nijinksy (SR 2140), 1972 Roberto (SR 2107), 1976 Empery (SR 1986), 1977 The Minstrel (SR 2094) and finally in 1983 with Teenoso (SR 2088). He also rode 16 Irish Classic winners, including the Irish Derby on 5 occasions, 1965 Meadow Court (SR 2031), 1967 Ribocco (SR 2015), 1968 Ribero (SR 1997), 1977 The Minstrel (SR 2094) and 1981 Shergar (SR 2169). After retiring as a jockey he did train for a while, but never reached the dizzy heights he had done as a jockey.
11/10 fav Meadow Court
6/1 Donato
10/1 Baljour
10/1 Beddard
100/9 Niksar
100/7 Western Wind
20/1 Convamore
25/1 Ballymarais
28/1 Kilcoran
33/1 Wedding Present
33/1 Zend Avesta
40/1 Jealous
40/1 Khalife
66/1 Flaming Red
100/1 Mabrouk
100/1 Ga-Greine
100/1 Solwezi
200/1 Indian Snow
200/1 Ballyciptic
200/1 Scrapani
200/1 Sierra De Mizas
  Over round 126%
FORMLINE:- The winner won by 2 lengths in the slow time of 2 minutes 46.8 seconds on yielding going. Previously Meadow Court was second, beaten 2 lengths, in the Epsom Derby behind Sea Bird II (SR 2249), one of the highest rated horses ever to contest the Epsom Derby.

ISBN 978-0-9957632-0-3

652 pages

774 former courses

ISBN 978-0-9957632-1-0

352 pages

400 former courses

ISBN 978-0-9957632-2-7

180 pages

140 former courses

ISBN 978-0-9957632-3-4

264 pages

235 former courses
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