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What are you doing next Saturday? You’re invited to join thousands atop the breathtaking Downs at Epsom for an open-air summer celebration, where Pixie Lott headlines the acts – oh, and there’s the world’s greatest horserace. And it won’t cost you a penny to get in.
Of course, the Betfred Derby, the very apogee of thoroughbred excellence ever since it was first run in 1780, deserves its place at the top of the bill. But the Classic, once witnessed by a mass of half a million at the iconic racecourse – Parliament was adjourned so that honourable members could attend – is facing an uphill battle to draw the crowds by itself.
“The first time I went to the Derby was in 1964,” recalls Frank Warren, the impresario whose Queensberry Promotions have worked with Epsom’s owners, the Jockey Club, to conceive DerbyFest.
“My dad was a bookmaker, and my uncles were. They had a couple of pitches inside and on The Hill. All sorts of things were happening – everyone was there, having a great day out – and it was the Derby that brought it all together.
“When this opportunity arose, we grabbed with both hands. I really do feel it’s a privilege to get involved.”
DerbyFest runs over the two days of Epsom’s Classic meeting, which begins with the Oaks on Friday. The aim is simple: to restore the magnetism of what many within horseracing still believe to be the sport’s theatre at its most viscerally compelling.
Hemmed by the Epsom racecourse horseshoe, The Hill has long been used as the barometer for the race’s appeal. Once, a vast swathe of humanity hid the downland turf from view – William Powell Frith’s 1858 work Derby Day depicts every pleasure-seeking form of life – but the blanket has thinned to threads.
View 4 ImagesCrowds have dwindled at recent Derbys from the days when the infield was busy(Image: John Walton/PA Wire)
The Hill, as public land, doesn’t put into the Epsom coffers, but Warren sees racegoers of the future in this weekend’s first-timers.
“From Epsom’s perspective it’s about opening this up to a new generation – finding the punters of tomorrow,” adds the 74-year-old, who through his day job in boxing has managed the likes of Tyson Fury, Frank Bruno and Naseem Hamed.
“I’m an old geezer, but it’s about bringing in a new audience, getting them into the spirit of the event – a historic event. You can bring your own picnic, have a bet, and it’s 100 per cent free to get in. Even the parking!
“All you have to do is go to the Jockey Club website – thejockeyclub.co.uk – and get the tickets from there.”
View 4 ImagesThe infield at Epsom Downs is free to the public(Image: PA)
Boxing is riding a wave of popularity but Warren has dealt with its ebbs and flows since promoting his first licensed fight 46 years ago, and also helped lend much-needed momentum to the unfashionable early days of London’s Docklands.
“Many years ago, that was when we built London Arena,” he recalls. “A lot of the newspapers – they are based there now! – were anti-Docklands, saying it was a difficult place to get to.
“I got Sinatra, we had Pavarotti – other acts were there – and it became a very successful venue.”
The 2025 Derby won by Lambourn, an 11th victory in the test for Aidan O’Brien, took place before just 22,312 paying customers.
View 4 ImagesFrank Warren with fighter Tyson Fury(Image: Getty Images)
More than 53,000 were in the stands to watch Galileo triumph, a first for the Ballydoyle trainer, in a quarter of a century ago.
But Warren, with a swagger fostered by five decades in the hype business, throws out talk of terminal decline.
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“This is a major sporting event, a great tradition that is moving with the times,” he asserts. “I hope, and I believe, it’s going to be like going back to when I was that kid, working with my dad.
“We’re successful in what we do and I want this to be a success – we will move heaven and earth to make it happen.”