Epsom Announces Major Plans to Boost Derby

A £6 million rejuvenation plan has been unveiled to breathe new life into Epsom's Derby Festival, with organisers aiming to restore the prestige and popularity of what is still widely regarded as the world's most iconic Flat race. Central to the overhaul, reports theguardian.com, is a prize money increase to £2 million, alongside new crowd-friendly measures including free admission for under-18s, complimentary parking, and the addition of bleacher-style seating on the inside rail to enhance visibility of the closing stages. For the first time, the Coronation Cup will shift to the Saturday card, joining the Derby itself and creating a feature-packed headline day for older horses and classic aspirants alike. The long-term goal is to attract a six-figure crowd across the two-day fixture by 2030. Attendance at the 2025 edition fell to 22,787, with a combined turnout of 37,599 over both days – figures seen by many as an alarm bell for a race once synonymous with heaving hillside crowds. Accurate crowd counts have always been elusive at Epsom due to the public nature of "the Hill," where fans traditionally gather without paying for entry. Despite that, the Derby's historic appeal is beyond doubt. Estimates suggest up to half a million spectators were present for the 1913 running, a year forever marked by the death of suffragette Emily Davison, who stepped into the path of King George V's runner Anmer. In more recent times, the decision to move the race from its traditional Wednesday to the first Saturday in June did spark a temporary uplift, with a record 53,177 paying attendees in 2001. But the last time that figure exceeded 40,000 was 2007, and the effects of the Covid pandemic have only accelerated the slide. Epsom's management now hopes to reverse the trend with this comprehensive revamp. The purse boost ensures that even runners finishing as far back as 10th will earn connections a share of the prizemoney. Each day of the meeting will now feature an eight-race card, with the Group 3 John of Gaunt Stakes also migrating from Haydock to bolster Saturday's line-up. These adjustments aim to deliver both competitive depth and greater incentive for owners and trainers to support the meeting. "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, from the Kentucky Derby to races in Japan, Australia and Hong Kong," said Jim Allen, general manager of Epsom Downs. "Our aim for Derby Day in 2026 is around 40,000 people, and by 2030 we hope to see 100,000 over the full festival."