The 247th annual running of the Derby takes place on Saturday 6th June and the draw year on year proves to be a determining factor in the eventual result.
Starting stalls have been in use for the Epsom Derby since 1967, where Royal Palace landed the spoils, drawn 19 of 22.
We take a look at when the draw takes place for the 2026 renewal...
When is the draw for the 2026 Derby?
The draw for the 2026 Derby will take place at 11:30 BST on Wednesday 3rd June.
This is actually just the second time that the draw will take place 72 hours before the running of the race after organisers decided to bring last year's all-important draw forward by one day, moving away from its usual spot on a Thursday.
Final declarations for the race have also been moved to Wednesday and will be known at 10:00 BST.
What is the importance of the Derby draw?
The draw for the Derby determines which stall a horse will start from. Initially, the maximum field for the race was set at 30, however, that number has since been reduced to 20.
Stall 10 is the winning-most gate in Derby history, producing 11 wins from 55 races. Both Auguste Rodin and Lambourn have won the Derby from stall 10 in the last three years.
Connections will be keen to avoid stalls 2, 16, 20 and 11. They remain the four stalls that have never produced a Derby winner.
