The Course
Epsom might be home to the Derby, but it is also one of the most peculiar racecourses in the world.
The present Derby course has been used for the race since 1872 and the contours of the left-handed U-shaped track present a unique challenge to both horse and jockey.
The question most asked of Derby challengers is "Will he stay?" Will he be able to sustain a strong gallop for the entire mile and a half on such a stiff track? Unlike athletics where the tracks are flat and uniform, racecourses are all different, some are left-handed, some are right-handed, some are flat, some are undulating, some are stiffer than others.
We can tell this by comparing "standard times" - the amount of time a decent horse can be expected to take over any given distance. Each track has them, for example at a mile and a half, horses are expected to take the following standard times at these courses:
Newmarket: 2 mins 28.7 secs
York: 2 mins 30.0 secs
Ascot: 2 mins 30.2 secs
Newbury: 2 mins 30.8 secs
Curragh: 2 mins 32.0 secs
Epsom: 2 mins 35.5 secs
The Curragh, home of the Irish Derby, is considered a stiff track, yet at Epsom the standard time is three and a half seconds longer and almost seven seconds longer than at Newmarket. Seven seconds equates to over thirty lengths - over half a furlong in which the fate of many Epsom Derby's have changed.
Part of the reason the extend time is the undulations in the camber of the course, which rises and falls and constantly breaks a horses rhythm. But the main reason it's such a test is the start. The first thing that confronts the horses as they burst out of the stalls in the Epsom Derby is a hill, which rises about 150 feet through the first 5 furlongs.
After going over to the right, virtually immediately the field starts to track back to the left-hand rail and with about three-and-a-half furlongs travelled, nearly everyone will be back on the left. A position one horse in from the rail is ideal at this stage.
Near the top of the hill, jockeys want to give their horses some rhythm and find a good position for the next six furlongs. The ground flattens out with seven furlongs gone and things get a bit easier for the horses from there.
Just past the mile, the field suddenly turns left and doesn't stop turning until it reaches Tattenham Corner. During this turn there is a descent of about 60 feet and this is a critical part of the race as some horses will never have galloped downhill before. It's not natural for them to do that, and turn as well. Horses can start rolling, and so the jockeys try to keep hold of their heads. The course has a natural camber and when a horse is tired, he is liable to lug down, so it is crucial that the jockeys hold them straight.
At this point jockeys want to be one, two or three from the rail - they don't want to be caught four-wide and having to make up ground. At Tattenham Corner, there is a huge crowd infield on the other side of the rails. Either side, there are people screaming which can again unsettle a horse as it is like running down a tunnel of noise.
It's nearly all downhill from Tattenham Corner until there's a quarter-of-a-furlong left, when the ground starts to rise again to the finish.
The undulating and unbalancing Derby course tests the horses athleticism, balance and most of all, stamina. With a record nine wins in the Derby, no jockey has mastered the course better than jockey Lester Piggott, who describes it as "an awkward track, difficult for the horses and jockey and unlike any other. It's not an ideal racecourse!" As such, it provides a thoroughbred with the ultimate test.
Horses make the turn at Tattenham Corner before a long run to the finish