Relief and pride at a job well done were, according to Nevin Truesdale, the Jockey Club’s chief executive, the primary emotions at Epsom on Saturday evening after the 2023 Derby joined the previous 243 in the form book. “It is incredibly important that this race continues to take place,” Truesdale told Racing TV’s Luck On Sunday programme, “and that we’re not disrupted by illegal activity.”
There are, of course, other positives for the track and its owners to take from the 2023 Derby beyond the simple fact that it happened and Auguste Rodin took his place on the sport’s most illustrious roll of honour. The clash with the FA Cup Final which prompted the move to a 1.30pm start time will not be an issue in 2024, and it seems reasonable to hope that the train strikes which persuaded thousands of fans to skip their usual trip to the Downs will also be a thing of the past.
