Epsom Oaks Racecourse
As one of the most famous race courses in the world, Epsom Racecourse is also one of the most testing trips in flat racing today. Resembling the shape of a horseshoe, the Oaks course run over a distance of 1 mile 4 furlongs and 10 yards (2,423 metres) in a left-handed direction.
A right-handed rise of some one hundred and forty feet begins not long after the race commences. Reaching the top of the hill after about three furlongs field descend from Tattenham Corner and enter the finishing straight of about three and a half furlongs. The drop of about one hundred feet continues until about one hundred yards from the finishing line, the ground here rises several feet before the winning post. Another feature of the home stretch is the marked camber away from the stands that is the undoing of all but the best-balanced runners.
The Oaks Fact File
At Epsom in early June sees fillies' stamina tested over the one and a half undulating miles of Epsom Downs.
United Kingdom Classic Races
In United Kingdom horse racing, The Classics are a series of horse races run over the flat (i.e. without jumps). Each classic is run once each year and is restricted to horses that are three years old.The five races are:
- Two Thousand Guineas Stakes
- One Thousand Guineas Stakes
- Oaks Stakes
- Epsom Derby Stakes
- St. Leger Stakes
