Summer 2024 is set to be another action-packed season for horse-racing enthusiasts, and from the Epsom Derby and Oaks to Royal Ascot, some thrilling racing events are now just around the corner.
This month is set to end on a dramatic note as Epsom holds its biggest racecards of the year. On Friday, May 31, the Oaks takes place, with the Derby to be held the following day. But it doesn’t end there, and both events will pave the way, just as they always do, for a thrilling summer season ahead.
Here, we take a look at the biggest racing events for your diary if you’re keen to make the most of all the sporting action season has to offer.
Epsom
This year’s Epsom race meetings will offer more than just the nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat trackside action they are best known for, with plenty more for racegoers to see and go whilst you’re there.
This year sees the opening of a new area for those attending. Cedric’s (named after the 1824 Derby winner) is located right by the winning post and offers impressive views of the finish, plus there’ll be plenty of mouth-watering food and drink to enjoy and some Ibiza style vibes to set the scene for a sophisticated day of fun and festivities. On Friday, May 31, Marvin Humes will be playing a DJset, followed by BBC Radio 2 host Vernon Kay on the Saturday.
Epsom’s opening day is also Ladies’ Day, with over 50,000 racegoers set to flock to the picturesque Surrey racecourse dressed in their finery for a day of champagne, fine dining and all round celebrations – and whether or not you happen to have back a winner on the track, the atmosphere promises to be electric.
But back to the on-track action. The main race of the day is the Epsom Oaks, the third Classic of the year and a race for three-year-old fillies that is run over a mile-and-a-half.
According to OffersBet.co.uk, a new website featuring the best online sports betting offers in the UK, the two current favourites to win are both projects of renowned Irish trainer Aiden O’Brien, who has been behind the winner of this race on ten previous occasions. Ylang Ylang came fifth in the 1000 Guineas race at Newmarket on May 5, but will appreciate the extra half mile of this race. Opera Singer is also being strongly backed after winning two Group Races last year.
Another strong contender is Tamfana, who placed fourth in the 1000 Guineas. Trained by David Menuisier, the three-year-old could well have won the Classic but was denied a clear run. However, after only losing by a length, a bold bid to win the Oaks looks likely.
The day after the Oaks is the highlight of the Epsom meeting – the famous Epsom Derby – a race that was first run all the way back in 1780. Charlie Appelby is the trainer behind the current favourite, Arabian Crown, who was the winner of a Derby Trial at Sandown this year.
O’Brien won a record ninth Epsom Derby last year with Auguste Rodin, and this year, he’s going for a tenth with his top runner, City of Troy. The horse is already highly regarded, but only finished ninth in May’s group one flat race, 2000 Guineas, also at Newmarket. The general consensus was that the pace of the race was too tiring for him, so racegoers will be turning out to see whether it will happen again at Epsom, or whether he will return to his previous excellent form.
Another of O’Brien’s runners is the unbeaten Henry Longfellow, who won in both Group One and Two as a two-year-old, so is another hopeful for giving O’Brien his tenth win.
Royal Ascot
While a visit to Epsom is undoubtedly a great day out, nothing is quite as spectacular as the annual spectacle at Royal Ascot. This year, it’s billed to take place from June 18-22, at the height of the summer racing calendar, and as a race that has long been beloved of the Royal Family, many are hoping that King Charles will attend the meeting that his mother so adored.
Each day sees the royal carriages make their way down the course making it such a special meeting that the British summer simply wouldn’t be the same without it.
The quality of the meeting is as high as you can possibly get in the world of horse racing. There are 19 Group Races held over the five days, each offering its own brand of thrill and excitement, but that’s not all. With Listed Races and handicaps that are so devilish to work out who’ll win them, spectators are kept guessing from start to finish, making it one of the very best occasions of the year for sports betting enthusiasts who are keen to try their luck and attempt to back a winner.
Just like the Epsom races, Ascot is something of a fashion spectacle, with this particular event’s Ladies’ Day known for being one of the most extravagant of all. As well as designer outfits, bold hats, fascinators and other avant-garde pieces of headwear are always on show, with press photographers on hand to capture the very best of them. And observing what people are wearing on the day can be almost as fun as watching the racing.
One of the top races of the meeting is the Ascot Gold Cup, which will unfold on Thursday, June 20, with 2022 winner Kyprios hoping to win the title for the second time this year. Kyprios is yet another runner trained by the esteemed O’Brien, who has won this race a record eight times to date, and 2024 may well make it nine.
Kypris was out injured last year, but had won six consecutive races before having to take 344 days off the track to recover. His comeback was at the Curragh last September, where he finished second, claiming the same finishing position in the Qipco British Champions Long Distance Cup – although both races were run over a far shorter distance than the Ascot Gold Cup.
With an array of brilliant races to be held over a variety of distances, including the five furlong King Charles III Stakes on June 18, it really doesn’t get much better than Ascot – and for the horse racing enthusiast, there’s a truly thrilling summer ahead.
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