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013g Epsom Derby Day 2015 - Investec Woodcote Stakes - field rounding Tattenham corner Epsom Derby, The Derby

Equestrian · Flat racing · London

The Derby

· Betfred Derby Festival Confirmed · Epsom Downs Racecourse

The oldest of the classic middle-distance races, run over a mile and a half on the Surrey downs on the first Saturday in June.

An event page tells you when it happens (with how sure we are of the date), why it matters, how the week around it feels, when to arrive and leave, where people stay, how access works, and which events come before and after it on the circuit.

Dates · Betfred Derby Festival ConfirmedThe Jockey Club lists the Betfred Derby Festival for Friday 4 and Saturday 5 June 2027 on the Epsom Downs fixtures page.
DestinationLondon, United Kingdom · Epsom Downs Racecourse
CategoryEquestrian · Flat racing
Importance54 Notable · Circuit Score, editorial and provisional
International drawInternational
AccessOpen
Typical stayday trip, or 2 nights in London
Best arrivalFriday
Best departureSunday
Typical timingthe first Saturday in June, with Oaks day on the Friday before
OrganizerThe Jockey Club (Epsom Downs Racecourse) · since 1780
Official sitewww.thejockeyclub.co.uk/epsom/ ↗
CalendarAdd to calendar (ICS) · Plan a trip around it
048 Epsom Derby 2015 - The field rounding Tattenham Corner led by Hans Holbein Epsom Derby, The Derby 2014 Derby field rounding Tattenham Corner, The Derby 013f - Epsom Derby Day 2015 - Investec Woodcote Stakes - field rounding Tattenham corner Epsom Derby, The Derby 012 Epsom Derby Day 2015 - Investec Private Banking Stakes - field at Tattenham corner Epsom Derby, The Derby

The Derby is run at Epsom, on public downland fifteen miles south of London, over a mile and a half of the most awkward championship course in flat racing: a climb, a hard left downhill through Tattenham Corner, then a camber that throws unbalanced horses toward the far rail.

It is a two-day festival — the Oaks on Friday, the Derby on Saturday — and its defining feature is the Hill, the open ground inside the course where admission is free and always has been.

01Why it matters

Epsom is the oldest surviving championship for three-year-olds and the model for the Kentucky Derby and a dozen other national derbies. In our reading the Hill keeps the day honest: one of very few occasions of this stature that anybody can attend for nothing.

02The week around it

Epsom fills on both days and the downs become a temporary encampment of buses, food stalls and a funfair. Unlike Ascot, the festival does not reshape central London.

03When to arrive

Come out for the day: arrive by late morning for a place at the rail on the Hill, and note that Friday's Oaks card is quieter and better racing.

04Where to stay

London is the base — anywhere on the South Western Railway corridor is within forty minutes — while Epsom's own hotel stock is limited.

05Access and hospitality

The Jockey Club sells reserved grandstand admission alongside boxes and dining packages, while the Hill remains free on foot, with charged car parking sold in advance under a published picnic policy.

06Where the social activity happens

The paddock and winner's enclosure in front of the Queen Elizabeth II Stand, the grandstand terraces, and the Hill, with open-top buses parked along the rail.

07Getting there

Commercial aviationHeathrow and Gatwick are each about forty-five minutes by road.
RailVictoria and London Bridge to Tattenham Corner; Waterloo to Epsom town, a twenty-five-minute walk.
CarM25 junction 8 or 9; downs roads close progressively and Hill parking is sold in advance.
Private aviationFarnborough and Biggin Hill.

08Practicalities

DressEpsom is markedly less formal than Ascot and the racecourse says so: the grandstand enclosures ask for smart daywear, with jeans, shorts and trainers restricted in the premier areas, and hats are common without being required. The Hill has no dress code whatever, and the ground is grass and chalk.
WeatherEarly June on the North Downs is mild and changeable, usually high teens to low twenties Celsius, and the Hill is open ground with no shelter.
Getting aroundRail to Tattenham Corner is the most direct approach; the exit after racing is slow by every other route.
HotelsThere is no hotel pressure of the Ascot kind, because most of the crowd travels in and out the same day.
RestaurantsOn-course dining should be booked ahead; otherwise Epsom High Street, or central London forty minutes away.
Reservation timingReserved admission and hospitality open several months ahead; nothing needs booking if the plan is the Hill.
TicketsEnclosure admission is sold through the Epsom Downs site with a published ticket line, at festival pricing above the roughly £15 floor for ordinary fixtures; entry to the Hill is free on foot and children are admitted free.
HospitalityPrivate boxes, restaurant packages and grandstand dining are sold directly with inclusions published per package; there is no membership gate.

09History

The race was created in 1780, the year after the Oaks; a coin toss is said to have settled whether it would carry the Earl of Derby's name or Sir Charles Bunbury's, whose horse Diomed won the first running. It moved to the first Saturday in June from 2003.

10Who is there

Owners, breeders and trainers of the classic generation, with a strong Irish contingent; the British bloodstock trade; and a very large public on the Hill, local to Surrey and south London.

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Part of: British Social Season · Equestrian Circuit

Dates on record

EditionDatesStatusSourceVerified
2027 · Betfred Derby Festival · Betfred Derby Festival ConfirmedThe Jockey Club lists the Betfred Derby Festival for Friday 4 and Saturday 5 June 2027 on the Epsom Downs fixtures page. Epsom Downs Racecourse — The Jockey Club ↗ 6 September 2026
2026 · Betfred Derby Festival · Betfred Derby Festival CompletedThe 2026 Derby was run on Saturday 6 June 2026, with Oaks day on Friday 5 June. The Jockey Club announced record prize money of £2 million for the 2026 running and free entry for children. 2026 Epsom Derby — Wikipedia ↗ 6 September 2026
Confirmed means the organizer or governing body has published the dates. Expected and Historical pattern are estimates from the event’s usual timing and can move. Date pending means nothing reliable can be said yet.

Related events

Ascot racecourse, Royal Ascot 2023 Ascot Royal Ascot Jun 15–19, 2027 Churchill Downs, located on Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, is a Thoroughbred racetrack most, Kentucky Derby Louisville Kentucky Derby Apr 30 – May 1, 2027 RHS with Parish of St Helier, Jersey, RHS Chelsea Flower Show London RHS Chelsea Flower Show May 18–22, 2027 Cheltenham Festival Cheltenham Cheltenham Festival Mar 16–19, 2027 Goodwood Racecourse, West Sussex, England, Qatar Goodwood Festival Goodwood Qatar Goodwood Festival Jul 27–31, 2027 A panoramic view of the Chantilly Racecourse at the 2013 Prix de Diane, in Chantilly, France, Prix de Diane Longines Chantilly Prix de Diane Longines Jun 13, 2027

Sources

  1. Epsom Downs Racecourse, The Jockey Club official accessed 6 September 2026
  2. Epsom Derby, Wikipedia encyclopedia accessed 6 September 2026
  3. 2026 Epsom Derby, Wikipedia encyclopedia accessed 6 September 2026
Last verified: 10 September 2026 · Confidence: HighReport an error on this page