Epsom Downs

Epsom Downs Racecourse caters to an estimated 150,000 each year and is recognised as one of the highly-regarded horse racing venues that the UK has to offer. It kicks off at the start of June each and every year, lasting two days.

Located in Surrey, Epsom racecourse is used exclusively for horse racing and is a staggering 2,400 metres long, amounting to over a mile and a half of space for these thoroughbreds. Unlike a lot of the four-day festivals we see in other major horse racing events, the Epsom Derby Festival only last two days, where it’s made up of a Ladies Day on the first day and the massively anticipated Epsom Derby on the second, with the second day always taking place on the first Saturday of June.

The Epsom Derby, also referred to as the Derby Stakes and the Investec Derby, is the most notable run to take place at Epsom and has gained legendary status since being inaugurated in 1780. This is a Group 1 flat horse race and consists of a run over one mile, four furlongs and six yards, with it crowning the best of the best based on who finishes in that all-important first place position. The Epsom Oaks, or Oak Stakes, is another race that takes place here and has become another staple in the British horse racing calendar.

Bookmakers allow betting on Epsom races just like with any event on the calendar, so it’s worth keeping an eye on your favoured bookie as the odds appear in the run-up to it taking place.

There’ll be an unfathomable amount of money spent in betting on the race throughout both days so it’s always likely that all the UK’s top bookmakers will be prepared well in advance.

With 4,200 bottles of champagne opened in the 2017 edition of the festival, it’s no surprise to find out that there were some massive winners, with winning horse Wings of Eagles defying the odds in finishing first after carrying a 40/1 starting price.

Despite being known to some as ‘Britain’s richest horse race’, The Derby is accessible to any and all who wish to attend. It originally took place on every first Wednesday of June but was changed to every first Saturday of June in 1995, making it easier for people see the festival for themselves.

Although the two-day festival is focused on the hotly-anticipated race on Day Two, Epsom Racecourse is widely known for being about more than just horse racing, and has various activities situated around the track – something that started being an annual occurrence after around 1850.

Wednesday 24th April 2019 - Flat - Afternoon - Turf

Friday 31st May 2019 - Flat - Afternoon - Turf

Saturday 1st June 2019 - Flat - Afternoon - Turf

Thursday 4th July 2019 - Flat - Evening - Turf

Thursday 11th July 2019 - Flat - Evening - Turf

Thursday 18th July 2019 - Flat - Evening - Turf

Thursday 1st August 2019 - Flat - Evening - Turf

Monday 26th August 2019 - Flat - Afternoon - Turf

Tuesday 27th August 2019 - Flat - Afternoon - Turf

Thursday 12th September 2019 - Flat - Afternoon - Turf

Sunday 29th September 2019 - Flat - Afternoon - Turf

As with most of the UK’s top racecourses, Epsom is situated in the vast British countryside. Epsom Racecourse itself is in Surrey, just a few minutes away from Epsom Town Centre, and is feasible to reach through a variety of ways. Many take the train to Epsom Downs Railway Station, which makes a lot of sense as it’s walking distance to the racecourse, but driving can also be worth considering as long as you’ve got the address programmed into an up-to-date Sat Nav.

For those who are driving to Epsom with heavy reliance on their Sat Nav, we’ve added the address below:

Epsom Downs

Surrey

KT18 5LQ

Epsom Downs Station

Many of the thousands of visitors who attend Epsom Downs Racecourse annually use the train to get there and there’s lots of uses in doing that as it’s around a twenty-minute walk from there to the racecourse. Epsom Downs Railway Station is extremely old fashioned and was opened back in 1865 but is still going strong in facilitating the easy commuting of such a mass of people when the racing action kicks off.