what gets the biggest crowds / strongest markets epsom derby or gold cup

It always felt to me that there are more hardcore fans on NH than the flat. As for AW well thats in the same league as Greyhound Racing.

seems like snooker = flat racing

and         darts =  nh

years ago when snooker was in vogue compared to the darts


now its the darts and nh

the snooker and flat is going backwards

The crowd at Epsom used to be much bigger but the majority got in free as the Downs were common land. They used to have an 18f course which wound its way,marked only by stones,from near the start to roughly the 8f/10f point on the racecourse proper. Health and safety killed that.

can't tell you this week yet, but 2014 was as follows:

chelt 57k 50k 57k 68k
ascot 46k 40k 65k 64k 70k

shi* sry you wanted derby one sec

epsom fri was 20681 and sat was 34020

bookmakers in attendance per day for the above

chelt 222 222 220 218 (no idea who went skint)
ascot 224 222 248 249
epsom 116 & 137

They must be going skint as the alleged "High Street Bookmakers" were offering better prices than Betfair...

Those that bet on course must have gone skint...

I think i speak for most when i say I like a winner on the flat just as much as one over the jumps

i've been to the Derby and Cheltenham on many occasions but never again unless invited to a private box....Salmon is right to highlight the 'Downs'...i remember wandering onto the Downs the year Lester  won on Empery won and it was crowded and a fantastic atmosphere.That atmosphere has now disappeared  and I blame the switch to Saturday.Mind you the atmosphere in 1975 was probably nothing to that captured in Frith's magnificent 19th century painting.
Can't imagine much worse than going to Cheltenham these days ;the view is abysmal and getting food and drink impossible.

The view at cheltenham abysmal? Really???

the view is top class at cheltenham.

Epsom you dont see them until the 6 pole.

The view at Cheltenham is excellent but the festival is exhausting to attend unless invited into a box.  Getting out of the car parks is a nightmare as well. I park in a siding near the bottom of Cleeve Hill and walking out between all the queuing cars is somewhat interesting.  Ascot in Jan or Kempton Feb much easier and always high quality racing.

Derby attendance was in decline well before it switched to Saturday.  I remember watching Nashwan win in the rain and thinking there is no way there is quarter-of-a-million here and that was 25 years ago.  Switching to a Saturday allows me to go most years and the last four years the weather has been particularly kind but overall has done it no favours though as the corporate business has all but dried up.

yeah a little out there elise ,epsom derby sat att 100,000 was 125,000 2012 for queen's jubilee ,just 65,980 out ,u must off been facing the wrong way

from my point of view ...I take nearly three times as much money at Cheltenham to what I take at royal ascot...Epsom derby doesn't enter the argument ...Aintree is second to Cheltenham

70000 aintree for both friday and saturday? inc 50000 spray tanned scouse ladys?!?

Aintree is the Daddy and you dont have to put up with the incessant hype that you do with Cheltenham for months in advance, especially those oh so tedious preview nights.
By the time Cheltenham comes around, one has been so skullfckd with the hype that one cant wait for it to end.
Aintree a better track as well.

lings point about totals, the fig above are what the course returns for paying customers etc,it excludes the hill for epsom

the numbers are consistent yr on yr, so for the 2012 saturday the returned number of paying  admissions is 39815

as it was mentioned, the aintree days for 2014 from the report;

27k thu, 42k fri 68k sat

Thursday of Aintree is a superb days racing.

Cheltenham is far superior to either the Derby or Royal Ascot. Yes it's busy, but I don't recognise stories about it being that difficult to get food or drink - never queued for longer than 5 minutes for either this week.

if you want another stat to ponder, last tues 10th march the attendance at wolvs was 284 (two hundred) with 7 books present

my apologies elise ,been a flat man i,ve never been to any of the big uk meetings ,but it would be royal ascot if given a choice ,i get chel and as people say its a betting crowd ,so i understand ur point adge . on a whole adge would NH meetings have bigger betting turn over from ur point of view .Been to most of the irsh one's , fav race has to be irish champions stakes never miss it ,plus now its champions weekend ,but when sprinter s ran at punchestown that was the most crowded i've ever seen a paddock ,had to jump to get a glimpse of the star

no need to apologise you were spot on, the numbers are wrong for epsom

Tues Royal Ascot is easily best day to go if you want to be able to move around and general has the best set of races too compared to rest of week.  I would never go again Thur/Fri/Sat unless, as said above, was lukcy enough to be in a box.

Agree with TheVis - the Tuesday of Royal Ascot is definitely the best choice.