Epsom Derby Festival 2025: Dates, how to watch on TV, trainers and jockeys to watch

This Friday will see one of the crown jewels of British flat racing return, as the 2025 Epsom Derby Festival gets underway. 

Set against the backdrop of the historic Epsom Downs Racecourse in Surrey, the two-day event will see racing’s elite go head-to-head in 15 races – including two British Classics – for a chance to write their names in the ‘history book’.  

Headlining the event is the Festival’s namesake race the Epsom Derby, Britain’s richest flat race and most prestigious of the five Classics – worth around £1.5 million. 

Attended often by members of the Royal Family, the action-packed, two-day event is one of the most prominent in the British sporting calendar, with attendances typically greater than 100,000 people. 

It also gathers a large-worldwide TV audience, who hope to see some of the finest action that the sport has to offer. 

After all the trials and build-up, this highly-anticipated event is upon us and here is everything you need to know about the 2025 Epsom Derby Festival.

When is the 2025 Epsom Derby Festival? 

Friday, June 6 is the date that will see this year’s event commence. 

Ladies Day gets underway at 1:30pm with The Nyetimber Surrey Stakes, a listed contest ran over a distance of seven furlongs. 

It precedes a seven-race card highlighted by The Oaks – the third to last race on day one and first of two classics ran at the meeting. 

The latter being The Derby, which is the fifth of eight races on day two and is due off at 3:30pm on Saturday, June 7. 

Trainers to watch 

The Festival has been fruitful in recent years for leading Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien, as he has claimed victory in eight of the last 13 renewals of the Festival’s main event. 

He will hope that his form at the Surrey track continues as he remains in search of his first British Classic win of the season, despite dominating at other illustrious meetings across the UK and Ireland. 

He saw his horses take victory in four feature races at Chester early last month, before claiming victory in Lingfield’s Derby trial. 

O’Brien also emerged victorious in classic trials at Naas and Leopardstown, before winning the Irish 1000 Guineas for the 11th time. 

His ballydoye cohort is spearheaded by Delacroix, who is the ante-post favourite to give

O’Brien his 11th Derby winner after stablemate The Lion In Winter has been the subject of a market drift. 

Charlie Appleby has continued to show why he is employed by owners Godolphin, after those renowned all-blue silks were first past the post in both British Classics this season. 

Ruling Court claimed Appleby’s third victory in the last four runnings of the 2000 Guineas before Desert Flower became his maiden winner in the 1000 Guineas, the day after. 

However, he currently trails Andrew Balding in the Trainers Championship standings by just over £300,000 in prize money. 

Both are yet to win the Derby but the former has won the Oaks – though it was back in 2003. 

John and Thady Gosden made up for their Newmarket misfortunes by sending 2000 Guineas runner-up Field Of Gold over the Irish Sea, where he won the Irish equivalent at The Curragh. 

They are third in the standings and the former boasts winning pedigree in both the Oaks and the Derby, for which he is a four-time and two-time winner respectively. 

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Jockeys to watch 

Ryan Moore is the ever-present man lucky enough to ride the majority of those Ballydoyle winners to victory. 

It is reflected in the Irish jockey standings as although he has the fifth-most winners this season, the prize money that he has earned is almost 300,000 euros more than table-topper Colin Keane. 

Moore is a four-time winner of both the Oaks and the Derby, riding three winners in each race for O’Brien. 

He will arrive at Epsom off the back of winning the Group One Prix du Jockey Club at Chantilly, on Sunday. 

Keane himself is worthy of a mention, after winning on board Field Of Gold, though his fellow countryman Oisin Murphy tops the standings on this side of the British Isles and is also the reigning title holder. 

Two-time British Champion jockey William Buick is the man enlisted by Godolphin to ride their horses on the biggest stage. 

Having ridden the winners of both British Classics this season, he will arrive at Epsom in good form as he searches for his second win in the Derby. 

How to watch on TV? 

ITV will show the action live and for free on terrestrial TV, via their ITV Racing programme, on ITV1. 

Racing TV will also broadcast their coverage on channel 424, for subscribers only.

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