Epsom Downs Racecourse

Epsom Downs Racecourse sits on the rolling North Downs near Epsom in Surrey. The Grade 1 track lies within a public open space where crowds can watch races for free. Its U-shaped course rises to the top of the hill before sweeping left at Tattenham Corner. The straight half-mile slopes downhill then rises sharply in the final hundred yards. Three Group 1 races are run here each year over the same mile-and-a-half distance. The course is best known for hosting the Derby Stakes, the UK’s top race for three-year-old colts and fillies. The Oaks Stakes for three-year-old fillies and the Coronation Cup for older horses also take place here. Queen Elizabeth II attended the Derby most years of her reign. The racecourse’s chairman is Brian Finch, and it is run by the Jockey Club. The first recorded race took place in 1661, though earlier contests may date to the 1640s. Visitors can watch horses tackle the steep climb and the tricky Tattenham Corner. The Duchess’s Stand, opened in 2009, hosts banquets and conferences. Epsom Downs station and Tattenham Corner station serve the course. Local trainers include Simon Dow and Laura Mongan. On Derby day the Royal Train arrives at Tattenham Corner station for the monarch’s arrival.