Close enough to the heart of the capital, the Epsom Downs Racecourse has long offered a prestigious day at the racing that so many in London enjoy. Nestled into Surrey, the Downs should be one of the most popular racecourses in the country.
Last year, however, the 130,000-capacity venue announced the need to embark on plans to revive the business and capture much larger audiences for its biggest events. Luckily for the track, there’s certainly an audience out there ready to engage with the sport at home and in person as a race day attendee.
Strong interest in horse racing is there
Horse racing is a classic, traditional sporting fascination in Britain. It has mass appeal, especially when the major meets come around. The interest in these has even created an audience ready to experience the sport beyond the tracks. This is why you can play Slingo Racing online now, as it’s been made to meet demand.
The game that’s already a combination of two other British favourites – bingo and slots – infuses the horse racing theme and setting to create a product of unique appeal. It nestles into the slingo selection alongside Slingo Fire & Ice and Lucky Larry’s Lobstermania Slingo, but is arguably more broadly appealing because of the horse racing ties.
Of course, the love of the sport and the appeal of a game like Slingo Racing is largely generated from the experience of being at the track and seeing the horses race. In 2025, increases in audience sizes would suggest that there are now even more people looking to experience horse racing more often.
The Racecourse Association figures showed a first-half bump of 5.1 per cent in live racecourse attendances across the opening 704 fixtures of the year. The average attendance also jumped by 3.5 per cent to 3,452. This encompasses all sizes of meet, and naturally, the biggest occasions will command much larger attendance figures.
Making changes to bring in the crowds
At the end of 2025, having seen these overall attendance figures and general interest increase, Epsom Downs decided to pull the trigger and embark on a five-year plan to revive Epsom’s headline Derby. As The Guardian reports, the track is pumping £6 million into the revival plan and will put up £2 million for the Classic’s prize fund.
Featured among the changes will be the new DerbyFest area on The Hill, which the owners have brought in Queensberry Promotions to set up and operate. It’s aimed at increasing engagement and bringing in more members of the local community. Plus, the age limit for free entry is being raised.
The already prestigious races, as noted, will be getting a significant bump in prize money and format. The Derby will give £1 million to the winner. Plus, the Coronation Cup will move from Friday to Saturday to help drive the weekend crowds and let them see the vaunted race. It will also see its prize money boosted, this time to £1 million.
Looking to capitalise on the changing ways of the still-active racing crowd, the Epsom Downs Racecourse is making a strong effort to become more attractive. This year, punters will get to visit and experience these big-money changes for themselves.
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