Epsom racecourse has announced a £6m, five-year plan to revive the flagging fortunes of the Derby, the world’s most famous Flat race, which includes a boost to the Classic’s prize fund to £2m, free admission to the main enclosure for under-18s, free parking and the installation of a bank of “bleacher” seats along the inside rail to give racegoers a “bird’s eye” view of the final three furlongs.
The Coronation Cup, for older horses over the Derby course and distance, will also be moved from the first day of the meeting to join the Derby on Saturday’s card.
The ultimate aim is to attract a six-figure crowd across the two-day meeting in 2030, after an official total of just 22,787 spectators attended the 2025 running of the Derby with an aggregate crowd over the two days of 37,599.
It has always been difficult to put an exact figure on the total attendance at the Derby as the race is staged on public land and admission is traditionally free to watch from “the Hill” in the middle of the course.
For much of its 245-year existence, though, the premier Classic is generally accepted to have drawn crowds well into six figures, and contemporary estimates suggest that up to half a million spectators were at Epsom for the 1913 running, during which the suffragette protester Emily Davison suffered a fatal injury after walking in front of the King and Queen’s runner, Anmer.
While there was an upturn in attendance after the race moved from its traditional slot on the first Wednesday in June to the first Saturday, including a modern-day record paid attendance of 53,177 in 2001, the figure for paying spectators has not passed 40k since 2007 and the slump has accelerated since the Covid pandemic.
In addition to the prize-fund boost to £2m, with £1m going to the winner, prizes for the Derby will extend to 10th place from next year’s race, and there will be eight-race cards on both days of the meeting with the Group Three John of Gaunt Stakes switching from Haydock to the Saturday card.
“Since the first running in 1780, the Derby has not only established itself as the definitive test of the thoroughbred, but as a race so prestigious that its name has been adopted worldwide, inspiring hundreds of races from the Kentucky Derby to races in Japan, Australia and Hong Kong,” Jim Allen, the general manager of Epsom Downs racecourse, said on Friday.
Doncaster: 11.40 Moon Rocket 12.15 Lilting Verse 12.50 Whatsgoingonmarvin 1.25 Cumhacht 1.58 Scotland The Brave 2.33 Roaring Home 3.08 George’s Lad.
Cheltenham: 12.05 Glance At Midnight 12.40 Royal Infantry 1.15 Fortune De Mer (nap) 1.50 Henry’s Friend (nb) 2.25 Courtland 3.00 J’Arrive De L’Est 3.35 Pike Road.
Southwell: 4.30 Noelies Dream 5.00 Stateira 5.30 Popty Ping 6.00 Tales Of Wisdom 6.30 Wild Act 7.00 Bullington Bry 7.30 Wise Eagle 8.00 Winchurch 8.30 Percy Willis.
“Our aim for Derby Day in 2026 is to have somewhere in the region of 40,000 people across our paid enclosures and on The Hill.
“We know that historically it was said that 100,000 people would be at Epsom Downs on Derby Day, but while we want to aim high over the next five years, a realistic yet ambitious target would be to achieve that number over the course of the two-day festival by 2030.”
Sixmilebridge shines at Cheltenham
At Cheltenham on Friday, Fergal O’Brien’s Sixmilebridge was a convincing winner of the card’s two-and-a-half mile novice chase and is now likely to step up to Grade One company in the Scilly Isles Novice Chase on 31 January.
Just a trio of runners went to post but all three had already shown useful form over fences and Sixmilebridge was conceding weight to both rivals. He accelerated clear in the straight, however, and flew the last before crossing the line with a 13-length advantage.
Elsewhere on the card, the novice Fortune De Mer took another step towards a possible run in the County Handicap Hurdle in March as he was delivered with a perfectly-timed run by Harry Skelton to take the two-mile handicap hurdle by a very cosy half-length.
It was Fortune De Mer’s fourth start over hurdles and he needs one more outing to qualify for the County.
“I told everyone at the start of the year that was what we would do and we’re just trying to do it,” Dan Skelton, Fortune De Mer’s trainer, said. “We’ll feel a lot of satisfaction if it comes off, but we won’t be disappointed if it doesn’t as it’s a hard thing to do and we’re getting a lot of pleasure running him.”
Bank on Vincenzo to lift the Cup
Jagwar, the Plate winner at last season’s festival meeting, is the likely favourite for the Support the Hunt Family Fund December Gold Cup at Cheltenham on Saturday, and the six-year-old could well be a serious competitor in Graded company before the winter campaign is out.
The immediate question for punters on Saturday, though, is whether Jagwar will be ready to fend off some classy, race-fit rivals off a career-high mark after 275 days away from the track.
In Jagwar’s favour, he has won off a significant break in the past, but the feature race of Cheltenham’s December meeting is a much tougher assignment than last season’s pipe-opener in a 0-140 at Wetherby, and 7-2 feels like a thin price in such a competitive event.
Kim Roque, a recent recruit to Joseph O’Brien’s yard who was a fine second on his stable debut at Cheltenham’s November meeting, is an interesting runner at the other end of the handicap, but he is 3lb wrong at the weights and it could pay to focus instead on the strong form of the Paddy Power Gold Cup at the same meeting.
Panic Attack, the winner, went on to complete a rare double in the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury, and Vincenzo and Hoe Joly Smoke, second and third in the Paddy Power, are looking to further frank the form.
Hoe Joly Smoke is 2lb better off with Vincenzo (1.50) on Saturday but Sam Thomas’s seven-year-old was making his seasonal debut last time and should find more for the outing. He is also less exposed over fences – this will be only his sixth chase start – and he is a fair price at around 9-2 to make the most of his edge in fitness against the favourite.
Cheltenham 1.15 Realta Liath may be the pick of several last-time winners in a highly-competitive mares’ handicap chase.
Doncaster 2.05 First-time cheeckpieces did the trick for Alcedo last time and he can continue Venetia Williams’s recent upturn in form.
Cheltenham 2.25 Having picked up where he left off last season at Haydock in November, the progressive David’s Well can extend his unbeaten record over fences to four races.
Doncaster 2.40 The Irish-trained World Of Fortunes has little to find with odds-on Kateira on ratings and looks overpriced at around 4-1.
Cheltenham 3.00 Conman John looked a staying novice to follow when successful at the October meeting and should build on that win here.
Lingfield 11.42 Hansard 12.17 Getaway King 12.47 Cinquenta 1.22 Masked Man 1.57 Getaway With You 2.32 Drayton Flyer 3.10 Bobbi’s Beauty
Doncaster 11.55 Real Quartz 12.25 Zurich 12.55 Spadestep 1.30 Bridge North 2.05 Alcedo 2.40 World Of Fortunes 3.17 Bowmore
Cheltenham 12.10 Minella Study 12.40 The Jukebox Kid 1.15 Realta Liath 1.50 Vincenzo (nap) 2.25 David’s Well (nb) 3.00 Conman John 3.35 Siog Geal
Newcastle 3.05 Blue Sky Boy 3.40 Brave Traveller 4.15 Alba Gu Brath 4.45 True Promise 5.15 Pocklington 5.45 Dandy Magic 6.15 The Green Man 6.45 Lessay 7.15 Wyvern
Wolverhampton 5.00 Sir Benedict 5.30 Cool Molly 6.00 Hashtagnotions 6.30 Brasil Power 7.00 Squiffy 7.30 Romanovich 8.00 King Of Speed 8.30 Amber Honey
Doncaster 3.17 Daire McConville’s 7lb claim could help offset a 10lb hike for Bowmore after a cosy win last time.
Cheltenham 3.35 Fergal O’Brien’s Siog Geal made a solid start to the season in open company last month and has obvious prospects back in a mares’ event.
