The Flying Dutchman (1846–1870) was an English Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He raced for four seasons between 1848 and 1851, winning all but one of his fifteen races, including The Derby and the St Leger. On his final racecourse appearance he defeated Voltigeur in what was probably the most celebrated match race in the history of British thoroughbred racing, known as The Great Match. He went on to be a success at stud both in Britain and France, where he died in 1870. The Flying Dutchman was regarded by experts as one of the greatest British racehorses of the nineteenth century.

The Derby Stakes, also known as the Derby or the Epsom Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in England open to three-year-old colts and fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs Racecourse in Surrey on the first Saturday of June each year, over a distance of one mile, four furlongs and 10 yards, or about 1½ miles. It was first run in 1780.