Epsom Vodafone Derby
Epsom Downs Race Course, Epsom
Ladies Day at The Vodafone Derby Festival in Epsom, Surrey usually held on the day before the Derby races, is not only a day of horseracing, music, entertainment but stylish outfits and extravagant hats!
Experience the unmissable Vodafone Derby Race, with horses racing the Epsom Downs mile and a half course. Relax as you enjoy the races with a picnic, soaking up the atmosphere and excitement of the racecourse.
Past Winners of the Epsom Vodafone Derby have included Hyperion, Sea Bird II, Sir Ivor, Nijinsky, Mill Reef, Roberto and Shirley Heights.
Previous Jockeys include: Johnny Murtagh, Kieren Fallon, Mick Kinane, Pat Eddery, Frankie Dettori, Jamie Spencer, Kevin Darley, Richard Quinn, Olivier Peslier and Richard Hughes.
The first race meeting in Epsom Downs Race Course, Surrey began in 1661 and the tradition continued until 1779 when Edward Smith Stanley, the 12th Earl of Derby, organised a race for himself and his friends to race their three-year-old fillies over one and a half miles. The race was so successful that the following year a new race was added for colts and fillies.
The race was held over a mile with the starting point in a straight line beyond the current five-furlong marker. In 1784 the course was extended to its current distance of a mile-and-a-half.