Ben Linfoot wonders what an Epsom Derby Carnival could look like in the future with discussions to revive the meeting under way.
Epsom has been described as the Jockey Club’s ‘problem child’ due to its commercial underperformance and the absence of major meetings outside of the Derby and Oaks according to a report in the Racing Post this week. Even so, injecting some new life into the Derby meeting itself has been outlined as one of three key pillars that new general manager Tom Sammes is looking at and that could mean a serious new look for the historic Classic and its supporting races in the next few years.
How could a week-long Derby Festival look?
More than a few eyebrows will have been raised this week when Sammes announced his intention to unveil some grand plans for Epsom, including ‘elevating the Derby and grow it as racing’s greatest carnival, creating a week where we showcase the Derby festival’ amongst other ideas.
On the face of it a week-long race meeting at Epsom a few weeks before Royal Ascot seems a pie in the sky idea and flies in the face of the ‘less is more’ crew, but it was interesting Sammes also used the word ‘carnival’ as it wouldn’t be the first time British racing has been inspired by the hugely successful Melbourne Cup meeting in Australia.
Indeed, much of the good work York have done with the Sky Bet Ebor has been based on learnings from the Victoria Racing Club, such as the emphasis on the big-race jockeys and community projects, and the structure of the Melbourne Cup Carnival, which lasts a week with spaces in between race days, could be something Sammes looks into for Epsom.
The Melbourne Cup Carnival runs from Saturday to Saturday and this could work for Epsom, the allure of two Saturday race days sure to appeal to the commercial team and it would also mean they could revert the Derby back to its traditional Wednesday slot, which will appease plenty of the traditionalists that didn’t think it should’ve been moved in the first place.
The two Saturdays could be headlined by the Coronation Cup and the Oaks, while there’s so much love for Sandown’s high-quality and valuable evening meeting this week that it makes me think there’s definitely room for another one.
With the funfair in the middle of the track there all week coinciding with half-term for the kids, a staggered four-day meeting run over an eight-day period could work, the gap days used for race promotion (including televised morning workouts?) and community projects – such as the popular fundraiser ‘The Derby Walk’, which has already been going on for 16 years.
Derby Carnival schedule 2030??
- Saturday June 1: Coronation Cup Day
- Monday June 3 (evening meeting): Dash Day
- Wednesday June 5: Derby Day
- Saturday June 8: Oaks Day
Ladies & gentleman roll up, roll up, for the fastest show on turf…
There were a total of 15 races at last year’s Derby meeting and extending the offering to four days will mean they will have to find 13 more contests to deliver four seven-race cards during the eight-day Epsom extravaganza.
Handicaps will be the order of the day there to satisfy the World Pool audience, but there is definitely room for a fourth Group One and the obvious thing to do, with the marketing team in mind, is to conjure up a high-quality five-furlong race to make use of the fastest five furlongs on the planet.
The Dash handicap is a great spectacle, but it would be difficult to sell a card on that race alone. But having a designated day for the speedsters, including the top-level sprinters, would be a great addition with raw speed and track/distance records on the agenda.
It isn’t easy to simply add a Group One to the calendar, although it did happen with the Commonwealth Cup, but there are only four five-furlong Group Ones in Europe and nothing before the King’s Stand at Royal Ascot, so it shouldn’t interfere with the pattern too much. The standard times over five furlongs between Ascot (59.4 seconds) and Epsom (53.8 seconds) are also so different you could argue they will appeal to different types of sprinters, too.
Still, it’s unlikely Epsom would be able to craft a Group One five-furlong charge out of thin air, so a better bet might be moving the Group Two Temple Stakes from Jockey Club-owned Haydock to Epsom with a view to attracting the right calibre of horse to elevate it to top-level status after a sustained period of success.
However they do it, the need for speed looks an open goal for Epsom and their lightning sprint track, while a top-quality sprint could and should offer a valuable pot, as well, given it’s the type of contest that would likely attract an eager sponsor.
Could Epsom revert to a Wednesday Derby?
The Derby was run on the first Wednesday in June pretty much every year until Lammtarra’s win on Saturday June 10, 1995, when the race was moved in a bid to reverse its declining fortunes in terms of attendance and exposure.
It’s hard to argue the switch hasn’t worked with the Saturday Derby opening up the race to families and workers who ordinarily wouldn’t be able to make the midweek slot, but a Melbourne Cup Carnival-type switch would open the possibility of reverting to historic tradition.
After all, in the Carnival plan there are two Saturday race days in the schedule anyway and the positives of moving the Derby back to a Wednesday afternoon include removing it away from the glare of summer sports and tournaments that have overshadowed the race in recent years.
Even the ever-lengthening football season has affected the Derby as recently as last year, with the FA Cup Final on the same day seeing Auguste Rodin’s Derby kick off at 1.30pm, but such things wouldn’t be interfering on a Wednesday afternoon and that would arguably mean an increase in exposure.
And tradition is one of the things Epsom has to lean on if the racecourse is to shake off its problem child tag over the next few years.
Epsom remains the ultimate test for a thoroughbred, examining temperament, speed, stamina, balance and talent like no other race at no other track, but there will always be those within racing who disagree with its quirks and its layout.
Not attracting the six-length Dante Stakes winner to the race would fuel the fire for those who think the Derby should be taken away from Epsom and run on a more conventional track, but Economics’ case looks a pretty unique one and most impressive winners of the York trial have made their way to the Derby over the years. Perhaps the William Haggas horse still will, as well.
But Epsom can’t rest on its laurels in that regard. And reinvigorating the Derby meeting looks a good way of protecting its crown jewels.
A carnival-type week won’t appeal to everyone and it’s very different to anything British racing currently provides, but allowing the racing to breathe in between race days might not be a bad idea. Certainly, it will be interesting to see how big Sammes’ seed of an idea can grow.
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