Where is Epsom Downs Racecourse?
Epsom Downs Racecourse, as the name suggests, is situated at the foot of the North Downs, near Epsom, Surrey in South East England. Epsom is best known as the home of the Derby Festival, which is staged annually on the first weekend in June and features the third and fourth Classic races of the season, the Oaks and the Derby. Both races have a long, rich history, having been established in 1779 and 1780, respectively, but the Derby – which, at the last count, offered £1.5 million in total prize money – is by far the more prestigious and valuable of the pair. The roll of honour features the likes of Sea Bird, Mill Reef, Shergar and Sea The Stars, to name but four of the notable winners.
The Oaks and the Derby and, indeed, the Coronation Cup – a Group 1 race open to older horses – are run over a mile and a half on a left-handed, U-shaped course characterised by pronounced undulation. Runners ascend steeply for the first half a mile, before descending equally steeply, around Tattenham Corner, into the home straight, which rises again in the final furlong.
Epsom is essentially sharp for the last mile or so, particularly so on the five-furlong sprint course, which is officially the fastest in the world. On June 2, 2012, Stone Of Folca, trained by John Best and ridden by Luke Morris, won the Epsom Dash in a time of 53.69 seconds, thereby setting a world record as the fastest horse over five furlongs.