Sporting Life
The Coronation Cup will be followed by the Dash and the Derby this Saturday at Epsom

Do this year's Epsom changes provide 'thrilling 90 minutes of horseracing' as promised?

Horse Racing
Mon June 01, 2026 · 3h ago

Matt Brocklebank looks at the Betfred Derby card changes and wonders if the on-course amendments can help provide a much-needed boost to the meeting.

The Betfred Derby Festival looked badly in need of revival 12 months ago and it was no surprise at all that by the middle of December a whole of bunch of changes had been announced by those steering the ship.

They included free car parking, under-18s getting in for nothing, new tiered/covered seating areas along the final furlong, plus a DerbyFest area up on the Hill which is expected to include DJ sets and live music from Pixie Lott, Lemar and more.

That all came beneath the headline-grabbing prize money boosts for the Derby itself – making it the joint-richest race in Britain – and the Coolmore Coronation Cup, complete with fresh sponsorship and title.

Arguably the most intriguing amendments concern the action on the track, with the Saturday schedule given a shake-up in order to create “a thrilling 90 minutes of horseracing” which sees the Coronation Cup, the Dash and the Derby bunched together in a rat-a-tat-tat of feature races.

"The Derby might not be as fashionable as it once was but that could change if they can get the atmosphere back and make the day sexy again," trainer William Haggas told the Racing Post’s Lee Mottershead in an extended feature last week.

Check out our guide to the 2026 Betfred Derby

More of an atmosphere looks a near-certainty based on the above although it will be interesting to see just how appealing this new race-programme turns out to be and whether or not it’ll play any part in helping to reinvigorate an afternoon that ITV Racing’s main anchor Ed Chamberlin described as looking “desolate” only last year.

A thrilling 90 minutes seems perfectly reasonable on paper but it still can’t lay a glove on Royal Ascot’s opening salvo of the Queen Anne Stakes followed by the Coventry and King Charles III. I realise I’m following the Champions League final's lead by expanding the 90 mins to two hours here, but tag on the St James’s Palace Stakes too and Ascot Tuesday is clearly the best bunch of races you’ll see on any single day in Britain.

That seems unlikely to change any time soon and no doubt Ascot’s proximity to the Derby meeting has had a growing impact on Epsom’s steady decline in recent years, with the thoroughbred population in this country only going the one way and competition to attract the best horses getting more intense.

But that’s not to say the latest changes aren’t going to bring about anything positive. Granted, the five-furlong Dash has held its spot as the race before the Derby on the Saturday for years but it should now serve as the perfect, quick-fire palate cleanser after the addition of the Coronation Cup which seems a great switch from the Friday Oaks card.

This year’s Coronation looks another cracking contest too as Jan Brueghel and Calandagan face off again and let’s not overlook the fact that G1 tussle comes hot on the heels of a couple of Group 3 races that kick things off on the Saturday, the seven-furlong Betfred Tattenham Corner Stakes (formerly the John Of Gaunt staged at Haydock) and the one-mile Princess Elizabeth Stakes. Early indications look good with 28 entries between them so let's hope they don't end up being small fields.

Saturday is rounded out by three World Pool-friendly handicaps which presumably aren’t considered quite as thrilling to the powers that be but should at least offer some good, competitive betting opportunities for punters.

Epsom’s former general manager Tom Sammes memorably described the course as something of a “problem child” for The Jockey Club a couple of years ago but at least the track’s flagship meeting has been given some attention, and that’s usually all that's required to make some sort of difference.

“I'd move it (the Derby) to a Friday. Friday afternoon, nobody seems to work on a Friday in this country,” Ralph Beckett said on Racing TV’s Luck on Sunday show.

I suppose you’ll never please everyone but images of the sparsely-populated enclosures from last June were a rude awakening for many and at least the steps taken appear to be putting this highly significant fixture on the front foot again - let's be honest, it could hardly have been much further back in its crease.

Epsom - Betfred Derby Festival Schedule

FRIDAY June 5

1.30pm - The Win With ZYN 3YO 'Dash' Handicap Stakes

2.05pm - The Oddschecker British EBF Woodcote Stakes

2.40pm - The Betfred Diomed Stakes (Group 3)

3.15pm - The Betfred 'Nifty 50' Handicap Stakes

4.00pm - The Betfred Oaks (Group 1)

4.40pm - The HKJC World Pool Handicap Stakes

5:15pm - The Cygames Surrey Stakes

5.50pm - The Debenhams Handicap Stakes

SATURDAY June 6

1.30pm - The Betfred Tattenham Corner Stakes (Group 3)

2.05pm - The Princess Elizabeth Stakes (Group 3)

2.40pm - The Coolmore Coronation Cup (Group 1)

3.15pm - The Betfred 'Dash' Handicap Stakes (Heritage Handicap)

4.00pm - The Betfred Derby (Group 1)

4.40pm - The Cherryfield (Croydon) Lester Piggott Handicap Stakes

5:20pm - The HKJC World Pool Northern Dancer Handicap Stakes

5.55pm - The JRA Tokyo Trophy Handicap Stakes

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