The World’s Most Famous Flat Race
Epsom Downs Racecourse has been synonymous with horse racing since the first recorded race on the Downs in 1661. Its defining event, The Derby, was inaugurated in 1780 and remains the most prestigious Classic race in the world. Run over one mile, four furlongs and ten yards on a unique horseshoe-shaped left-handed course, The Derby tests the speed, stamina and balance of three-year-old thoroughbreds like no other race. The Oaks, its fillies’ equivalent, is run the day before, and together the two races form the centrepiece of the Epsom Festival in early June.
The course’s dramatic topography – rising sharply from the start before sweeping downhill around Tattenham Corner into the home straight – creates one of the most visually spectacular settings in racing. On Derby Day, crowds of up to 100,000 have gathered on the open Downs, a tradition of free public access that dates back centuries.
Beyond Derby Day
Epsom hosts a programme of flat meetings from April to September, including popular evening fixtures and Ladies’ Day events. The Queen’s Stand provides modern grandstand facilities with restaurants, bars and private boxes, while the open Hill remains free to access on most racedays. The racecourse also hosts concerts, fireworks displays and community events outside the racing calendar. It sits on the B290 above Epsom town centre, with direct trains from London Waterloo to Epsom Downs station on racedays.
