New Derby, Oaks Post Times

Post times for this year’s G1 Investec Oaks and Derby, set for June 5 and 6, respectively, have been pushed back to 4:30 p.m., according to Racing Post. Television audiences for the Classics have fallen since coverage was moved from the BBC to Channel 4 racing in 2013, with 1.5 million people watching from home as Australia (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) won last year’s Derby, compared to 3.3 million viewers in 2012. Ed Harvard, Channel 4’s head of TV events and sports, said he hopes the move will help accommodate a larger audience. 

“We welcome the later start times for the Investec Oaks and Investec Derby, which will enable these blue riband events to be accessible to the widest afternoon audience possible,” Harvard told Racing Post. 

First race post time will also be moved back 25 minutes to 2 p.m. The Jockey Club Racecourse’s London Regional Director Rupert Trevelyan told the trade daily, “We believe that from an attendance perspective, in particular for our sponsor and hospitality guests, this adjustment to our timings will enhance the overall enjoyment of their day. At this stage this is the extent of our changes to race times but we will review following the 2015 Investec Derby festival.”