The History of Epsom Downs Racecourse

The Epsom Salts Connection

The story of Epsom Downs racecourse begins, oddly enough, with a cow. In 1618, a local farmer named Henry Wicker discovered a spring on Epsom Common where his cattle refused to drink. The water tasted bitter, and when it evaporated it left behind white crystals — what would later be identified as magnesium sulphate, or Epsom salts. Word of the spring's supposed medicinal properties spread rapidly, and by the mid-17th century, Epsom had become one of England's most fashionable spa towns.

The wealthy visitors who flocked to Epsom to "take the waters" needed entertainment, and horse racing was the obvious answer. The open, elevated downland just south of the town provided an ideal natural setting — gently undulating grassland with enough space for horses to gallop and enough height for spectators to watch. The first recorded race meeting on Epsom Downs took place in 1661, during the reign of Charles II, a king who was famously passionate about horse racing and had already established Newmarket as the headquarters of the sport.

Early Racing on the Downs

Those early meetings were informal, rough-and-ready affairs — nothing like the structured race days we know today. Local gentry would match their horses against each other over the natural terrain, with spectators gathering on the hillside. There were no stands, no enclosures, and no official rules. It was sport in its rawest form, fuelled by wagers and local pride.

Through the late 17th and early 18th centuries, Epsom's races grew in reputation alongside the spa itself. The proximity to London was key — it was close enough for city dwellers to make the journey for a day's sport, yet far enough to feel like a proper country excursion. By the early 1700s, regular meetings were being held, attracting runners and spectators from across the south of England.

The Oaks and the 12th Earl of Derby

The transformation of Epsom from a pleasant country meeting into the most important racecourse in the world hinged on a dinner party. In 1778, the 12th Earl of Derby and his friend Sir Charles Bunbury, both keen racing men, were at a gathering at the Earl's nearby estate, The Oaks. The conversation turned to the idea of establishing a new race for three-year-old fillies over one and a half miles of the Epsom course.

The race was duly run for the first time in 1779 and named after the Earl's estate — The Oaks. It was an immediate success, drawing a strong field and a big crowd. Encouraged by this, the Earl and Bunbury devised a companion race for the following year, this time open to both colts and fillies. Legend has it they tossed a coin to decide whose name the new race would carry. The Earl won, and so it became The Derby rather than The Bunbury. Sir Charles had the consolation of winning the first running with his colt Diomed in 1780.

The Rise of the Spa Town

It's worth noting how crucial the spa connection was to Epsom's racing development. While Newmarket had royal patronage and Ascot would later gain its own regal association, Epsom's early growth was driven by commerce and fashion rather than the crown. The spa visitors brought money, social connections, and a taste for amusement. The races became part of the social season — a reason to visit Epsom alongside the wells.

By the time the spa's popularity began to fade in the later 18th century, the racing had taken on a life of its own. The Derby had ensured that Epsom would endure long after the last visitor drank from Henry Wicker's bitter spring.

From Country Race to National Obsession

The Derby's rise to pre-eminence was astonishingly rapid. Within a decade of its first running in 1780, it had established itself as the most prestigious flat race in England. By the early 19th century, it was arguably the most important sporting event in the country — a day when the entire nation seemed to stop what it was doing and turn its attention to Epsom.

Several factors drove this. The race itself was brilliantly conceived — a single test of the best three-year-olds over a mile and a half of one of the most demanding courses in the land. The undulating, horseshoe-shaped track with its dramatic descent to Tattenham Corner was a natural selector, favouring brave, balanced, athletic horses over mere speed merchants. Winning the Derby meant something, and the quality of the early winners helped cement its reputation.

The Great Social Carnival

What really set the Derby apart, though, was its social dimension. Derby day became a holiday — not just for the racing world, but for London and much of southern England. Parliament adjourned for the day. Factories and shops closed. Tens of thousands of people made the journey to Epsom by every means available: carriage, cart, horseback, and foot.

The road from London to Epsom on Derby day was one of the great spectacles of Victorian England. Charles Dickens wrote about it vividly, describing the chaotic procession of vehicles and pedestrians streaming south through Mitcham and Sutton. When William Powell Frith painted his famous canvas "The Derby Day" in 1858, it captured the extraordinary social mix — aristocrats and pickpockets, gentlemen and con artists, Champagne and whelk stalls, all crammed together on the Downs.

This was what made the Derby unique among sporting events. At Ascot, the class divisions were rigidly maintained. At Newmarket, racing was largely the preserve of the cognoscenti. But Epsom on Derby day was genuinely democratic in a way that was remarkable for its era. The Hill was open to all, free of charge, and the crowd reflected every stratum of society. It was Britain at its most chaotically egalitarian.

Royal and Political Interest

The race also attracted consistent royal and political attention. George IV, William IV, and Victoria all attended, though Victoria's visits to Epsom were infrequent compared to her patronage of Ascot. Edward VII, both as Prince of Wales and as King, was a passionate supporter of the Derby and won it with Minoru in 1909 — one of the most celebrated moments in the race's history, with enormous crowds cheering the king's horse past the post.

Prime ministers were regular attendees, and the adjournment of Parliament for Derby day was a tradition that persisted well into the 20th century. The race had become woven into the fabric of the British establishment in a way that no other sporting event could quite match.

The Course Takes Shape

Through the 19th century, the physical infrastructure of Epsom gradually developed. Grandstands were built and rebuilt, the course was better maintained, and the organisation of race days became more structured. The arrival of the railway in 1865, with a station built specifically to serve the racecourse, was transformative — it made the journey from London faster, cheaper, and easier, further swelling the crowds.

By the late Victorian era, Derby day attendance regularly topped 100,000. Epsom Downs was, quite simply, one of the most famous sporting venues on earth — and the Derby its most famous event.

Emily Davison and the 1913 Derby

The most famous — and most shocking — moment in Epsom's long history occurred on 4th June 1913 when suffragette Emily Wilding Davison stepped onto the course during the Derby and was struck by the King's horse, Anmer. She died from her injuries four days later. Whether she intended to attach a suffragette banner to the horse or was attempting something else entirely remains debated by historians, but the moment was captured on newsreel film and became one of the defining images of the suffragette movement.

The 1913 Derby is a reminder that Epsom has always been more than just a racecourse. Its sheer visibility — the biggest crowd, the most watched race, the eyes of the nation — made it a stage for acts that transcended sport. Davison chose the Derby deliberately, knowing the world would be watching.

Wartime Interruptions

Both world wars disrupted racing at Epsom, though the course fared better than many. During the First World War, the Derby was relocated to Newmarket from 1915 to 1918. The Downs were used for military training and the grandstands served various wartime purposes. Racing returned to Epsom in 1919, and the post-war Derbys drew huge crowds as the nation sought normality.

The Second World War saw a similar pattern. The Derby moved to Newmarket from 1940 to 1945, with the Epsom course again requisitioned for military use. Anti-aircraft batteries were positioned on the Downs, and parts of the course were ploughed for agriculture. The return to Epsom in 1946 was celebrated as another marker of peacetime resumption.

Shergar — 1981

Some Derby victories transcend racing, and Shergar's demolition of the 1981 field is one of them. Ridden by the young Walter Swinburn, the Aga Khan's colt won by a staggering ten lengths — a margin of victory that remains a record for the race. It wasn't just that he won; it was the manner of it. Shergar took the lead early and simply galloped his rivals into submission on the famous Epsom turf. Two years later, Shergar was infamously stolen from his stud in Ireland and never recovered, adding a dark postscript to one of the most brilliant Derby performances ever witnessed.

Lester Piggott's Nine Derbys

No jockey is more closely associated with Epsom than Lester Piggott. Between 1954 and 1983, Piggott won the Derby a record nine times — a feat that is almost certainly unbeatable. His first victory, on Never Say Die in 1954, came when he was just 18. His last, on Teenoso in 1983, came at the age of 47. Piggott's mastery of the Epsom track was extraordinary; he understood its contours, its demands, and its tactical nuances better than any rider before or since. His name is synonymous with the course in the way that Frankie Dettori later became linked with Ascot.

Frankel's Sire — Galileo (2001)

Galileo's imperious 2001 Derby victory is significant not just as a great race but for what came after. Trained by Aidan O'Brien and ridden by Mick Kinane, Galileo proved himself a brilliant racehorse at Epsom before retiring to stud where he became the most influential stallion of the 21st century. His son Frankel — widely regarded as the greatest racehorse of all time — never ran at Epsom, but Galileo's own Derby triumph remains a pivotal moment in modern racing history.

Workforce and the Record (2010)

Ryan Moore's victory on Workforce in the 2010 Derby produced the fastest time in the race's 230-year history. The combination of good ground, a strong pace, and a horse with exceptional stamina resulted in a course record of 2 minutes 31.33 seconds. It was a display of sustained speed that showcased both the horse's ability and the unique, downhill nature of the Epsom course — a track where records are rare because the terrain, rather than pure speed, usually determines the outcome.

The Oaks Heroines

Epsom's history isn't solely about the Derby. The Oaks, first run in 1779, has produced its own share of legendary performances. Enable's dominant 2017 Oaks victory launched one of the great careers in modern racing — she went on to win eleven Group One races, including three King Georges and two Arcs. Love's 2020 Oaks, run behind closed doors during the pandemic, was another exceptional performance by an O'Brien-trained filly who proved the Epsom test with devastating ease.

Post-War Evolution

The second half of the 20th century saw Epsom Downs navigate the tension between preserving its unique character and modernising its facilities. The course that returning racegoers found in 1946 was essentially Victorian in its infrastructure — grand in scale but creaking at the seams. Over the following decades, a series of redevelopments gradually transformed the physical environment while attempting to keep the spirit of the place intact.

The most significant change came in 1992 when the old grandstands were demolished and replaced with the current Queen's Stand — a modern, purpose-built structure designed by the architectural firm Lobb Partnership. It wasn't universally loved (few modern grandstands are), but it provided facilities that were drastically needed: better sightlines, improved hospitality areas, and proper infrastructure for the thousands of racegoers who packed in on big days.

The Jockey Club Era

Epsom came under the management of the Jockey Club (later Jockey Club Racecourses) and has benefited from the investment and strategic thinking that centralised management brings. The racing programme has been refined, with the Derby meeting remaining the undisputed centrepiece but a solid supporting calendar of flat fixtures running from spring through autumn.

The relationship between the racecourse and the local community has sometimes been complicated. Epsom Downs is common land, which means public access rights exist over much of the area. This unique legal status has influenced everything from planning decisions to the layout of the course itself, and it's one reason why the Hill remains open and free on Derby day — a tradition rooted in common land rights as much as racing tradition.

Television and Global Reach

The arrival of television transformed the Derby from a national event into an international one. Live coverage began in the 1950s and brought the drama of Tattenham Corner into millions of living rooms. The Derby became one of the BBC's flagship sporting broadcasts, alongside the FA Cup Final and the Grand National — the kind of event that people who never normally watched racing would tune in for.

In recent decades, the broadcast has expanded globally. The Derby is now shown in over 100 countries, and the race attracts runners from around the world — particularly from the dominant Irish operation of Aidan O'Brien at Ballydoyle, whose horses have won the race multiple times in the 21st century. The international betting market for the Derby is enormous, making it one of the most-wagered flat races on earth.

Challenges and Renewal

Epsom hasn't been immune to the broader challenges facing British racing. Attendance at non-Derby fixtures has fluctuated, and the course has had to work hard to attract new audiences. Evening meetings, music events, and family-focused racedays have all been introduced to broaden the appeal, with mixed but generally encouraging results.

The course has also invested in improving the day-out experience — better food, modernised facilities, and a more welcoming atmosphere for first-time racegoers. There's a recognition that while the Derby is a guaranteed sell-out, the rest of the programme needs to earn its audience, and the approach has become noticeably more visitor-focused in recent years.

A Course That Shaped a Sport

It's difficult to overstate Epsom's influence on horse racing worldwide. The Derby didn't just become the most important race in Britain — it became the template for Classic racing across the globe. When other nations established their own premier flat races, they modelled them on the Derby: a mile and a half test for three-year-olds, run at the highest level of competition. The Kentucky Derby, the Prix du Jockey Club (the French Derby), the Irish Derby, the Australian Derby — all owe their existence and their format to what was first conceived at Epsom in 1780.

The five British Classics — the 2,000 Guineas, 1,000 Guineas, Derby, Oaks, and St Leger — form the backbone of the flat racing season, and two of them are run at Epsom. No other course hosts more than one Classic. That distinction alone places Epsom in a category of its own, alongside Newmarket (which hosts both Guineas races) as one of the twin pillars of British flat racing.

The Unique Test

What makes Epsom's legacy particularly enduring is the nature of the course itself. The horseshoe-shaped track, with its dramatic elevation changes and the famous left-handed sweep of Tattenham Corner into the home straight, is unlike any other racecourse in the world. It doesn't just test speed — it tests balance, temperament, and the ability to handle gradients and camber at racing pace. The best Derby winners are complete athletes, and the track has been identifying them for nearly 250 years.

This is why breeders still value a Derby winner above almost any other credential. A horse that excels at Epsom has proved something fundamental about its constitution — and that quality tends to pass down through generations. Galileo's 2001 Derby victory, for instance, preceded a stud career that produced dozens of top-class offspring, including the incomparable Frankel. The Epsom test matters because it reveals qualities that matter in a racehorse, and that link between the racecourse and the breeding shed is central to Epsom's legacy.

A Living Monument

Epsom Downs today is a place where history isn't just remembered — it's woven into every visit. The famous horseshoe course is essentially unchanged since the Derby was first run. The Hill still fills with ordinary racegoers on the first Saturday in June, just as it did when Dickens described the scene in 1851. The train still runs from London to a station built specifically to bring crowds to the races.

There are newer, slicker racecourses in Britain. There are courses with better facilities, easier access, and more corporate gloss. But there is nowhere with Epsom's depth of story, nowhere that carries the same weight of sporting history, and nowhere that can match the raw drama of watching a field of three-year-olds sweep around Tattenham Corner in pursuit of the greatest prize in flat racing. For the full story of this remarkable course, see our Epsom Downs complete guide.