THE Derby is set to receive a huge injection of cash as part of major changes to the ailing two-day Epsom festival.
The Jockey Club are set to invest £6 million next year in a bid to help restore the world’s most famous Flat race, and the meeting as a whole, to its former glory.
Major changes – including a prize-money boost- have been announced for the DerbyCredit: PA
The Betfred Derby itself, won last year by 13-2 shot Lambourn, will be worth £2 million from 2026, an increase of £500,000.
There will also be some alterations to the race programme, with the Group 1 Coronation Cup switched from Oaks day to Derby day and receiving a big hike in prize-money from £450,000 to £1 million.
In total, prize-money across Betfred Derby weekend will get a boost of £1.375 million – but Epsom chiefs have stressed improving the customer experience is also a key priority.
Attendances at the Derby meeting have been declining at an alarming rate for the best part of two decades, with just 22,000 in attendance on Derby day itself this year.
Attendances earlier this century regularly passed 40,000 and the first post-Covid Derby without restrictions in 2022 attracted a crowd of 37,000, but the racecourse has struggled to get punters back through the door.
In particular, the famous hill enclosure in the centre of the course, which used to be packed with tens of thousands of people, has been like a ghost town for the last few years.
So the Jockey Club have announced several new initiatives to encourage punters to return, including free parking across the entire site. Parking at the Derby meeting this year had cost up to £40.
In an attempt to attract younger racegoers, under 18s will be get free entry to general admission enclosures, while a new ‘DerbyFest’ area will be introduced on the hill.
The racecourse has faced scrutiny recently for its poor marketing campaigns in Epsom and the wider London area.
Key changes to Derby race programme
- Betfred Derby prize-money to increase from £1.5 million to £2 million, with £1 million to the winner and down to £20,000 for tenth place
- Coronation Cup, now sponsored by Coolmore, moved to Saturday and prize-money increased to £1 million
- A new seven-furlong Group 3 – the Tattenham Corner Stakes – will be run on Derby day, with prize-money across the meeting up to nearly £5 million
You could walk down Epsom high street in the days leading up to the Derby and not have a clue the race was even on – but this is expected to change.
Time and money will also be spent improving the infrastructure around the racecourse, which has often felt tired and in need of investment in recent years.
The changes come after a six-month review and are the first step in a five-year plan to try and reinvigorate the great race, with track chiefs setting the ambitious target of a 100,000 crowd across the two days by 2030.
Epsom general manager Jim Allen said: “Since the first running in 1780, the Betfred 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.
“My own passion for the Derby and Epsom Downs goes back many years, to my own childhood, and while I was extraordinarily proud to have overseen my first Derby as general manager earlier this year, I couldn’t wait to address some of the things that the team and I knew could be improved.
“The changes we are making, both on and off the track, would not have been possible without crucial input from racegoers, annual members, the local community, a number of stakeholders from right across the sport and our sponsors Betfred and other partners, all of which have helped shape this painstaking review process.
“It is so important for us to be continually evolving and improving to give everyone the best possible experience across the two days.
“Ultimately, we want to deliver something that Epsom and the surrounding area, along with everyone connected with British racing, can feel truly proud of and one which is befitting of the Betfred Derby Festival’s status as a world class and prestigious event.
“This project started the morning after Derby Day for many of us and I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has worked tirelessly on it.
“We are now excited about delivering these changes, which we hope will be appreciated by all who join us in June.”
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