A YEAR ago, then General Manager of Epsom Racecourse, Tom Sammes said of the course that hosts the Derby: “Epsom is not where the Jockey Club, and me personally, would like it to be, for a host of reasons. There are a lot of things to do and there’s a long way to go to get to where we want to be. We’re on a journey.”

One year on, the same questions are being asked of Epsom as were being asked then, and the crowd for the Derby fell to an official 22,312, down from 26,838 in 2024, and notably down on the figure of 37,274 of 2022 - Platinum Jubilee year. Sammes talked of being on a journey with Epsom, and garnered praise for his vision for the racecourse, but his own journey has seen him leave racing altogether since overseeing the 2024 Derby Festival and he now works for City Football Group, owners of Manchester City and other football clubs.

Unlike Sammes, who was previously head of strategy for the Jockey Club but had no background in racing, new General Manager Jim Allen is steeped in the sport. An alumnus of the BHA Graduate Scheme, Allen gained early racecourse management experience at Huntingdon and Sedgefield, before becoming Racing Director for Arena Racing Company in 2006 – a role he held for a decade and whose highlights included the introduction of sectional timing on all ARC tracks and the development of the All-Weather Championship series as well as the introduction of Tapeta as the preferred surface at Wolverhampton and Newcastle. He then spent time training horses in the UK, France, and the US where he joined forces with the legendary Michael Dickinson, both on the racecourse and in the promotion of Tapeta as a racing and training surface.

Fluctuating fortunes

So, is Allen’s racing experience the key to turning around the fortunes of Epsom? The famous course is an unfashionable venue these days, where once it attracted half of London society to its big race day, and falling attendances (2024 was a bounce from the previous year, in fairness to Sammes) are now sounding alarm bells. I think Allen can learn a lot about the perspective that his predecessor brought to the job and turning Epsom around does need a different mindset to a similar role at Ascot, or Cheltenham for example.

The most discussed element of the loss of numbers on Derby day was the quietness of Epsom’s famous Hill, the enclosure which is traditionally free to enter, and which is largely responsible for the unique feel of the Derby, replete as it has been with all sorts of entertainment. The Jockey Club’s website describes it in glowing terms, stating: “The Hill is the beating heart of The Betfred Derby Festival where we invite everyone to join in and experience the unique carnival atmosphere.”

The Hill is officially Epsom’s biggest draw, and that chimes with those who have long memories of the Derby, with much of that traditional colour coming from bookmakers, tipsters like the legendary Prince Monolulu, and his cry of “I gotta horse!” as well as funfairs, fortune-tellers and entertainment booths to give those on the hill a plethora of ways to spend their money.

Unofficially, however, the fact that the enclosure is free but requires official supervision, means that it is viewed more as a nuisance by many at the Jockey Club, as Sammes explained in an interview before last year’s race. “The Hill is a commercial challenge but a great opportunity to work with the local community, which we don’t do well enough here,” he said.

“The Hill’s decline is also a societal challenge – people don’t mind paying for a good experience rather than having a lesser experience for free, and our priority has to be giving our clients who are paying to be here the best experience. In the past The Hill may have been viewed as an annoyance,” he adds. “As we have to staff it, there is a substantial cost that we can’t recoup, but we just need to learn to use it in a better way.”

Priority or problem?

There’s a dichotomy between the language used to promote The Hill and the way it is discussed as a priority for the racecourse, and that is a problem. Either The Hill is the beating heart of Epsom racecourse or it’s a liability for the executive to manage, but it shouldn’t be both.

It’s not possible to bring back the days of Prince Monolulu et al and much has changed in society since the 1950’s and 60’s when a huge crowd still descended on the course for a day out, and it’s important to remember that the crowds who have traditionally flocked to London for a midweek day out when the Derby was run on a Wednesday were not primarily racing fans. They didn’t go for a good look at the horses in the parade ring or to discuss the finer points of collateral form. London went to Epsom for a rip-roaring day out and anyone looking to revive the glory days there needs to understand that not all racing crowds are the same. What works at Ascot and Cheltenham does not necessarily fit other tracks, and Epsom is very much for the day-tripper rather than the hardcore equestrian.

That attitude also holds for the racing programme. There is always talk about whether many of the races on Epsom’s two-day card are good enough for such a prestigious fixture, but that again is getting bogged down in an Ascot/Cheltenham mentality.

Jim Allen would do well to look at some of the Irish racing festivals, where success isn’t measured in the percentage of pattern races that make up the programme, but the quality of the entertainment, and while it’s nice to have several Group 1 races on a card, the position of Epsom in the calendar and the unique nature of the track means that an injection of race quality is simply not possible.

Some have talked about turning Epsom into a one-day affair, but while that would improve the quality of the racing, it’s not necessarily a cure. When the Derby festival was at its most successful, it was actually a four-day meeting starting with the Derby on Wednesday and closing with the Oaks on Saturday. The Coronation Cup was the only other top-class race on the programme and many of the supporting races were of low quality.

Such a mixed bag of races wouldn’t wash these days, but that is largely snobbery, and if you are promoting a festival as being as much about the surroundings and the range of entertainment as it is about the horseflesh on show, then it works perfectly well. The success of any venue involves finding the correct mix of entertainment and audience.

Too often we pander towards exclusivity in both, but Epsom has always been about the wider community, in all their grime and glory, and getting numbers back, particularly on The Hill, means making no such value judgments about the audience who will relish the experience that Epsom alone is able to deliver.