Epsom Summer Meeting Poster – Underground Poster – Vintage Horse Racing Poster – Andrew Power
This Epsom Summer Meeting Poster was published by London Transport in 1933. Although the art deco masterpiece is signed by Andrew Power, the artwork was a collaborative design created by two British artists, Sybil Andrews and Cyril Power. The artists were responsible for creating many London Transport and London Underground posters in the 1920’s both as individual artists and in collaboration with each other. In 1933 alone, the pair produced seven posters for London Transport. The Epsom Races poster was published to entice racegoers to take the Tube to the Epsom Downs to watch ‘The Derby’ contested at one of the oldest horse races in the world.
Sybil Andrews and Cyril Power’s art deco style poster prominently highlights the racecourse’s unusual letter ‘U’ shape rather than the traditionally designed, oval-shaped track that feature at most other racing venues. The poster depicts eleven thoroughbred racing horses galloping around the white rail on the historic downhill bend at Tattenham Corner. The stylised, elongated horses cast even longer shadows on the green Epsom turf as the fillies approach the final uphill straight to the finishing post.
Thousands of racegoers are depicted all around the course on either side of the racetrack. The spectators radiate from the edges of the track like the rays from the sun. In the top right-hand corner, beyond the perimeter of the spectators is a hint of the open-topped motor omnibuses lined up. In the 1930s the red open-top buses were regularly used as temporary viewing platforms at events such as The Derby. In much the same way, the racegoers are shown standing on the roofs of the taxi’s, charabancs and automobiles in the lower part of the image.
The text on the poster provides the details on how to get to the venue with the help of London’s Underground railway system (UERL). It suggests that spectators and punters take the Tube to Morden Station. The poster text reads ‘For the Derby Morden Station… thence by bus every minute. Epsom Summer Meeting. 30 May – 2 June.
Horse racing at the Epsom Downs
Horse racing on the Epsom Downs or the Banstead Downs as it was originally known, has been taking place since the early 1600s. According to local legend, King Charles II had a hunting lodge built at what became The Warren on a bluff overlooking Langley Bottom. It became the starting point for the original straight course used to race horses. The Epsom & Erwell History Explorer website makes a comment that the parish registers of Banstead record the burial in 1625 of a man who is running a race at Epsom fell from his horse and broke his neck.
In 1654, horse racing, along with wrestling, football, gambling and drinking alcohol were banned by the Puritan leader Oliver Cromwell. The activities were considered sinful and representative of the excesses and sins of the Royal Family. In 1660, with Cromwell dead and King Charles II on the throne, racing was revived with huge enthusiasm. It became a pastime closely associated with the aristocracy and its patronage by Charles (“the father of the British turf”) led to it being dubbed “the sport of kings”. Within months, on 7 March 1661, the first officially recorded race on Epsom Downs was held, in the presence of the distinguished king. By 1730, horse races at Epsom were held annually.
During a social gathering that included Sir Charles Bunbury and Edward Stanley, the 12th Earl of Derby an idea was spawned for a horse race on the Downs specifically for three-year-old fillies.
This race became better known as “the Oaks” after the name of Derby’s nearby estate. The first running of the Oaks in 1779 was won by ‘Bridget’ Derby’s own horse. At a celebration after the race, Bunbury and Derby proposed a similar race for both colts and fillies to commence the following year. It is thought that the name of the race was decided following the toss of a coin with Derby winning the privilege of naming the race after himself. The first running of the Derby was held on May 4, 1780, and was won by Bunbury’s horse Diomed.
The Derby has been run at Epsom every year since and with the exception of the war years from 1915 to 1918. Between 1940 to 1945, the Derby was transferred to Newmarket racecourse and raced under the monicker the ‘New Derby’.
Many horse races have since been named after the Derby, most notably the Kentucky Derby and the Irish Derby. The term “Derby” has taken its place in modern parlance to symbolise any type of race or contest.
The 1933 Epsom Derby
The Epsom Derby is the jewel in the horse racing crown the Epsom Derby Festival. It is also one of the most prestigious and eagerly anticipated events in the equestrian calendar. The Epsom Derby or Derby Stakes was first held in 1780. The prestigious derby has been held annually ever since. The only exceptions being the war years from 1915 to 1918 and between 1940 to 1945, when ‘The Derby’ was raced at Newmarket under the monicker the ‘New Derby’. Today the event is considered the biggest and richest flat horse race of its kind in the United Kingdom, forming, along with the Oaks, Saint Ledger, and the 1,000 and 2,o0o Guineas considered one of the five British Classics Races.
The Epsom Derby horse race serves as the middle leg of the historically significant Triple Crown of British horse racing. The race is preceded by the 2000 Guineas and followed by the St Ledger. Between 1809 and the late 1970s it was common for owners to enter their prize horses into all three events for the Triple Crown title. Over the 200+ races since then just 15 horses have managed to achieve the complete sweep in one year. Runners who have won three-race competitions in one year include West Australia in 1853, Gladiateur and Lord Lyon in 1865 and 1866 respectively, Ormond (1886), Isinglass (1893), Galtee More (1897), Flying Fox and Diamond Jubilee in 1899 and 1900 and Rock Sand in 1903. Between 1915 and 1918 the achievement was made in three out of four years by Pommern in 1915, Gay Crusader in 1917 and Gainsborough in 1918. Since then just two horses, Bahram in 1935 and Nijinsky in 1970 have succeeded in the challenge. The tremendous feat is rarely attempted in the modern era due to changing priorities in racing and breeding, and the demands it places on horses.
With a field limited to three-year-old colts and fillies, the Derby is now run on the Epsom turf on the first Saturday in June over a 1 1/2-mile (about 2,400-metre) course in Surrey, England. In its formative years, the Derby was run on a Thursday in late May or early June, depending on when Easter. In 1838 the race was moved to a Wednesday to comply with the railway company timetables, but dates were adjusted to work around Easter. In the 20th century, the race was run mainly on a Wednesday in late May or early June until 1994, after which it was changed to a Saturday. From 1915 to 1917 the Epsom Derby took place on a Tuesday, with the last pre-war race being held on 31 July 1917. During the 1942-1945 war years, and also 1947 to 1950, and in 1953 the date changed again, this time to a Saturday and from 1969 to 1994, it was raced on the first Wednesday in June. However, since 2003, it has been on the first Saturday in June, apart from one race held on 4 July 2020 that took place without spectators, owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The 1933 edition of the Derby stakes were run on Wednesday 31st May 1933. From an initial entry list of 304 jockeys and horses who applied to enter, the field was whittled down to twenty-four runners who took part. The event was attended by over 100,000 spectators including King George V. The prestigious race, featuring some of the most talented three-year-old thoroughbred horses, was about to commence, and the excitement in the air was palpable. The stage was set for an epic battle, with spectators and punters waiting with bated breath.
The crowd roared as the horses took off, and the jockeys expertly manoeuvred their horses around the track. The winning horse, Hyperion gave an awe-inspiring performance, galloping ahead of the field. The 6/1, three-year-old colt, ridden by jockey Tommy Weston and owned by the 17th Earl of Derby crossed the finish line a staggering 4 lengths ahead of King Salmon in second place. A length separated jockey Harry Wragg on the 7/1 runner-up owned by Sir H.Cunliffe-Owen and the 20/1 Statesman owned by Mr Victor Emmanuel and ridden the third place by jockey Brownie Carslake. The final placing was taken by rider A Wragg on Lord Durham’s 18/1 colt Scarlet Tiger.
Hyperion’s winning time of 2 minutes and 34 seconds was nothing short of incredible and marked a new record for the year. It also gave Lord Derby his second Epsom victory in the race founded by his forefather 153 years earlier. The win also saw a prize fund of £9,836 10s awarded to the victors. A staggering amount of money at the time. A prize fund equivalent to almost £670,00 in today’s (2023) terms, that played no small part in adding to the excitement and prestige of the race.
In 1931, the Derby became the world’s first outdoor sporting event to be televised. Although at the time the annual event was also regularly attended by hundreds of thousands of racing fans. In 1946, the first Derby Race to take place after world war II drew an incredible 250,000 spectators at the Epsom Downs. Today, the free-admission hill still provides a festival atmosphere. The walk-in nature of the hill typically sees Derby attendances exceed 100,000 spectators, making it still one of the largest sporting events in the United Kingdom. In addition to the racegoers that still attend the venue to watch the racing live, tv coverage in 2016 accounted for a further 1.95 million people watching the race all across the world. The Epsom Derby has long been hailed as the greatest horse race in the world, and it is certainly an event that has stood the test of time.
