Epsom Downs Racecourse
Flat | |
Notable races | Epsom Derby Epsom Oaks Coronation Cup |
---|---|
Official website |
Epsom Downs is a Grade 1
The course has a crowd capacity of 130,000 including people watching from the
The Chairman of the course since 2015 is
History
The first recorded race was held on the Downs in 1661,[3] although a local burial list of 1625 refers to "William Stanley who in running the race fell from his horse and brake his neck" and in some sources racing is recorded as dating from the 1640s,[4] so it is likely that racing was established much earlier than that.[5] Epsom is referenced in the diary of Samuel Pepys in 1663 and Charles II is said to have been a racegoer there.[5] By 1684, Epsom had a clerk of the course and from 1730 was hosting twice yearly race meetings.[5]
At Epsom on 3 May 1769 the famous racehorse Eclipse had the first of his many victories in an undefeated career on the turf.
In the summer of 1779 Edward Smith-Stanley, 12th Earl of Derby, organised a race for himself and his friends to race their three-year-old fillies. He named it the Oaks after his nearby estate. The race became so successful that in the following year 1780 a new race was added for three-year-old colts and fillies—-the Derby. In 1784 the course was extended to its current distance of a mile and a half and Tattenham Corner was introduced.[6]
In 1913 the
In 1952 the racecourse was featured extensively in the film Derby Day set around the 1952 Epsom Derby.[9]
In 2009 the racecourse opened the new Duchess's Stand. It has a capacity of 11,000 and has a 960 m2 (10 000 sq ft) hall. It can be used for banqueting, conferences and exhibitions. The estimated cost of the new stand, which was built by Willmott Dixon, was £23.5 million.[10]
On 4 June 2011, in their first public outing since returning from their
In 2022 the main stand of the racecourse, previously been known as The Queen's Stand, was renamed the Queen Elizabeth II Stand.[12]
Description
The racecourse is between
Racehorse trainers based in the local area include Simon Dow and Laura Mongan.[15]
The racecourse is served by the Epsom Downs station[16] as well as Tattenham Corner station, which is where the British monarch alights from the Royal Train on race days.[17]
Notable races
Month | Meeting | DOW | Race Name | Type | Grade | Distance | Age/Sex |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
April | April Meeting | Wednesday | City and Suburban Handicap | Flat | Handicap | 1m 2f 17y | 4yo + |
April | April Meeting | Wednesday | Great Metropolitan Handicap | Flat | Handicap | 1m 4f 6y | 4yo + |
April | April Meeting | Wednesday | Blue Riband Trial Stakes | Flat | Conditions | 1m 2f 17y | 3yo only |
June | Derby | Friday | Woodcote Stakes | Flat | Conditions | 6f 3y | 2yo only |
June | Derby | Friday | The Oaks | Flat | Group 1 | 1m 4f 6y | 3yo only f |
June | Derby | Friday | Coronation Cup | Flat | Group 1 | 1m 4f 6y | 4yo + |
June | Derby | Friday | Surrey Stakes | Flat | Listed | 7f 3y | 3yo |
June | Derby | Saturday | Princess Elizabeth Stakes | Flat | Group 3 | 1m 113y | 3yo + f |
June | Derby | Saturday | Diomed Stakes | Flat | Group 3 | 1m 113y | 3yo + |
June | Derby | Saturday | The Derby | Flat | Group 1 | 1m 4f 6y | 3yo c + f |
- Other races
Gallery
Views of the Epsom Grandstands
|
---|
References
- ^ Osborne, Alistair (1 June 2012). "Derby draws record crowds as racecourses buck recession". Archived from the original on 15 April 2018. Retrieved 5 April 2018 – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
- ^ "Julia Budd to succeed Anthony Cane as Chairman of Epsom Downs". The Jockey Club. 21 December 2015. Archived from the original on 8 June 2019. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
- ^ "History". Epsom Downs Racecourse. Archived from the original on 25 June 2014. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
- ^ Barrett, Norman, ed. (1995). The Daily Telegraph Chronicle of Horse Racing. Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness Publishing. p. 8.
- ^ a b c Holland 1991, p. 10.
- ^ "Epsom Downs History". Archived from the original on 25 June 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
- from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 14 April 2008.
- ^ Emily Davison (1872 - 1913) Archived 12 December 2019 at the Wayback Machine BBC History
- ^ Vincent Porter, 'The Robert Clark Account', Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, Vol 20 No 4, 2000
- ^ 'Freak' winds blamed for ripped roof at Epsom Downs racecourse Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine The Guardian, 10 January 2012
- ^ "Queen's hope to win Derby goes on". BBC News. 4 June 2011. Archived from the original on 23 June 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
- ^ "The Queen Elizabeth II Stand, Epsom Downs". 20 June 2022.
- ^ "Epsom Downs Course Guide - At The Races". At The Races. Archived from the original on 26 February 2018. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
- ^ John Randall (24 December 2005). "Ask the anorak: Raffingora record just one facet of a high-class sprinter". www.thefreelibrary.com. Racing Post. Archived from the original on 26 February 2018. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
- ^ Less, Jon (27 August 2017). "Meet the horses: Epsom stables ready to show off their stars". Racing Post. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
- ^ Marius, Callum (8 December 2021). "The peculiar Zone 6 railway station that 'looks like it's in somebody's back garden'". MyLondon. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
- ISBN 1-85306-771-7.
Bibliography
- Holland, Anne (1991). Classic Horse Races. ISBN 0-356-19708-5.