Frank Warren speaks of his passion for the Derby

Legendary boxing promoter Frank Warren spoke of his passion for the Betfred Derby and Epsom Downs today, as The Jockey Club announced that several enclosures are sold out for the two-day Betfred Derby Festival.

The world’s most famous Flat race will be staged for the 247th time this Saturday, with racegoers being joined by The King and Queen.

The last of the tickets for Betfred Derby Day in the Queen Elizabeth II Stand were sold yesterday (TUESDAY) and The Jockey Club has now revealed that the Grandstand Enclosure, Duchess’s Stand Reserved Seating and Cedric’s enclosure are all now sold out on Derby Day too. The only general admission tickets available are in the Upper Tattenham Enclosure, with limited hospitality areas also for sale.

There will however, be availability on The Hill on Derby Day, where all access and parking is completely free and people can simply turn up on the day.

The Jockey Club has already received more than 24,000 sign-ups on Betfred Derby Day for its brand new DerbyFest, a free fan zone hosted by Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions which will see Pixie Lott, supported by Lemar, on stage on Derby Day itself.

A further 5,000 people are registered for the new Community Zone on The Hill at Tattenham Corner, where local music acts will perform and food and drink companies based locally will be running stalls.

On Ladies Day on Friday the Queen Elizabeth II Stand and Grandstand Enclosure are both sold out, along with Duchess’s Stand Reserved Seating. There is limited availability in Cedric’s and the Upper Tattenham Enclosure, as well as some hospitality areas.

DerbyFest has more than 5,000 sign-ups for the Friday, when The Hoosiers perform, with another 2,000-plus people signed up for the Community Zone.

Speaking at the Betfred Derby Draw at The Peninsula Hotel in central London – at which the stalls for each of the 14 horses running were drawn from the famous FA Cup draw equipment - Frank Warren said: “DerbyFest is going to be a fantastic day for everybody.

"We're really, really pleased with the way it's working. In some ways it's new ground for us, but we are promoters, that's what we do for a living. We're used to delivering massive and world-class events that are shown and broadcast around the world, so getting involved in horseracing is just fabulous for us.

"You've got great entertainment, top music, food, you can bring your own picnic. You can have a lovely time at Epsom and, more importantly, you are watching the best race in the world - the most famous race in the world - and the rest of the card.

"You've got the Oaks on the Friday and The Derby on the Saturday. It's just going to be a fabulous day out, and it's not costing a penny. There's even free parking.

"The Derby means a lot to me. When I was a youngster my Dad and my uncles were all bookmakers at Epsom. That was the old days of bookmakers when they used to chalk up the boards.

"I was going there from the age of 13. I did that for a number of years. My Dad, until he passed away, and my uncle did the same thing. They had pitches on The Hill, and they had pitches on the ring inside as well. For a youngster, it was just brilliant.

"I remember that it was absolutely chock-a-block. It was mobbed and that's what we want to bring back. That's what we are working towards bringing back. That great day out, that great atmosphere and great fun day for everybody.

"The Jockey Club and Queensberry and everybody who is working within the two organisations have done a brilliant job. It's a learning curve as well, but I just really do feel there's going to be something special.

"I think we can really build on it and turn it into a really great meeting for people to come along and enjoy it and see the best of everything.”

Speaking about sales and sign-ups for the free areas, Jim Allen, Epsom Downs General Manager, added: “We had recognised that The Derby has been slipping from the wider public’s consciousness for a few years and we needed to act fast to stop the decline in attendances.

“A huge team of people from across The Jockey Club have been working hard for more than 18 months – since before the 2025 Betfred Derby – on this year’s event and we are delighted to see such interest and engagement from racing fans and the local community.

“I’m thrilled for the team here at Epsom to see such strong ticket sales and sign-ups for DerbyFest and the Community Zone and we all now have our fingers crossed for the weather over the two days. Betfred Derby Day took place during a yellow weather warning last year so it was understandable that people didn’t join us on The Hill, but with the numbers of sign-ups we’ve seen this year I’m confident that won’t be the case this year.

“The racing itself looks like being hugely competitive once again and we’re excited for the 247th Derby on Saturday.”