All roads lead to Epsom on Bank Holiday Monday
This year’s Epsom Open Day will see the training yards within this historic training centre throw their gates open to the public on Bank Holiday Monday 26th August, followed by an afternoon of family friendly racing at the glorious Epsom Downs Racecourse.
Brought together by Racing Welfare and The Jockey Club, Epsom offers the perfect destination for a whole day of family Bank Holiday entertainment. Steeped in sporting heritage, the town’s training centre sits nestled in the heart of leafy Surrey, whilst being only five miles from central London as the crow flies.
The day kicks off at 8.30 am where attendees will have the unique opportunity to take in the incredible sight and sound of racehorses exercising on Epsom’s gallops. ITV Racing’s Rishi Persad will be on-hand to provide fantastic insight into each team of horses as they appear, interviewing their respective trainers along the way.
Epsom’s yards will be open to the public from 9.30am. Those welcoming in visitors this year are as follows: Jim Boyle, Michael Attwater, Pat Phelan, Roger Ingram, Simon Dow, Mark Pattinson and Adam West. A free shuttle bus service will transport visitors on routes around the yards to make the journey to each location as easy as possible. Full details can be found at www.epsomopenday.co.uk. Proceeds from the morning’s events will go to Racing Welfare, with funds raised supporting the charity’s Epsom-based activities.
Action moves to the racecourse in the afternoon, where a variety of Adventure themed activities will be on offer to compliment a full seven-race card. Children’s activities include a climbing wall, trampoline bungee, travalator, high rope assault course, crocodile encounters, face painting and petting zoo. Returning for this year also is the ultra-competitive Careers in Racing ‘Hop Till You Drop’ Space Hopper Stakes, where a full complement of teams from across the racing industry will compete to be first past Epsom’s iconic finishing posts.
Racing Welfare has had a dedicated presence in Epsom since 2016, recognising the significance of the training centre within the fabric of UK horseracing. The charity provides wide-ranging support to all of those in the area who work in racing in the area. Retired racing staff are also well catered for with monthly coffee mornings, trips and outings, all of which aim to prevent loneliness and social isolation within the community.
Racing Welfare’s Chief Executive, Dawn Goodfellow, said
Last year’s Epsom Open Day saw the biggest crowd since we took over the organisation of the event. We are very happy to be working with The Jockey Club and their team at Epsom Downs racecourse to bring a whole day of Bank Holiday entertainment to the public again this year. We hope that people will take the opportunity to visit Epsom’s equine residents in their home environment after watching them working on the gallops in the morning, meeting the people behind the horses along the way too. Epsom is a centre steeped in racing history with a unique feel and we can’t wait to welcome lots of people here on the day.
Tickets to the event are on sale now at www.epsomopenday.co.uk with adult tickets for the morning priced at £10. A combined ticket to both the open morning and the afternoon racing costs just £20 and under 18s go free all day.