Epsom show goes on but dispute has plenty of distance left to run

Animal Rising makes its presence felt but fails to disrupt racing on Derby day

In the end the disruption didn’t amount to much; a solitary protester making it on to the course to down by the furlong pole to jeers and heckles from the grandstand. Luckily, or unluckily for him depending on how much he was channelling his inner suffragette, the 14-strong field of horses was a mile away at the time and despite leading security a merry but brief dance, capture by several course staff was inevitable. He was dragged back under the inner rail from where he’d come, then sat upon until the 56 hooves had thundered past and he could be led away.

As the horses and riders swept around Tattenham Corner, a vast and otherwise empty straight of lush green grass stretched ahead and Auguste Rodin, under Ryan Moore, led them all home to mark another triumph for trainer Aidan O’Brien. In the aftermath of the race the Animal Rising protest group tweeted that the race had started despite assurances from the Jockey Club that it would not get under way if there were any activists illegally trespassing on the track.

Closer scrutiny proves the starting gates had in fact opened when the law-breaker made his way under the inner rail on the other side of the course.

“Our security teams and the police acted swiftly and decisively to remove an Animal Rising protester who entered the racetrack after the

Derby had started and while the race was being run,” said the Jockey Club chief executive, Nevin Truesdale, who added that the “reckless and illegal” behaviour was in breach of a high court order obtained this week.

“Animal Rising repeatedly stated that they would not attempt to disrupt races while in progress and we utterly condemn their deplorable and mindless actions today.”

Strolling the course ahead of racing on a journalistic reconnaissance mission to spot potential access points or any potential Animal Rising interlopers concealed in the adjacent shrubbery, it quickly became apparent that both straights and the approach to Tattenham Corner could quite easily be encroached upon by anyone in the Hill Enclosure, located in the middle of the track.

Due to a public right of access, thousands of members of the public watch the Derby free of charge from this area, enjoying the racing in a carnival atmosphere while keeping themselves fed, watered and amused courtesy of the many on-site food trucks, ice-cream vans, carousels, merry-go-rounds and assorted other gravity-defying contraptions that complement the afternoon’s sport.

The number of revellers enjoying the summer sunshine in this infield area looked considerably down compared to previous years. It was almost certainly due to the rail strike, although the day’s clash with a certain other high-profile derby at

Wembley may also have adversely affected attendance.

Any number of Animal Rising activists hell-bent on trespassing on the track could have hidden in plain sight among these racegoers. They would have had little difficulty getting past the security guards in blue “Enforcement” tabards dotted about 10 metres apart along the chest-high fence adjacent to the inside running rail.

A much taller, more temporary fence had been erected parallel to the outer rail and there was a visibly huge police presence all around Epsom Downs. In the buildup to the race, Truesdale had admitted he believed “it is very likely people will get on the track – and it’s fair to say our thinking and planning is more skewed towards the response when it happens than preventing it happening.”

This air of fatalism would prove largely groundless and fears the 244th Derby would have to be delayed and cast out into the ITV4 televisual wilderness were allayed when, unlike April’s Grand National, it went off almost bang on time.

In an attempt to appease Animal Rising, who made their intention to disrupt the race explicitly clear, the Jockey Club did approve a designated protest area on one section of the large grassy roundabout directly outside the main entrance. Approximately 90 minutes before the action began it was fairly sparsely populated: a couple of vans and some gazebos offering protection to no more than 20 people standing around.

They were peaceful, seemed to be having a jolly good time and were largely ignored by the racegoing public making their way through gates manned by armed policemen. Four other members of the local constabulary stood nearby monitoring proceedings just in case anything kicked off.

Before racing it was announced that 19 Animal Rising activists had their collars felt in a couple of preemptive strikes by Surrey police. “Eleven people were arrested at addresses in Mitcham and Byfleet in the early hours following warrants based on intelligence received ahead of the Epsom Derby Festival,” said a police statement. “A further eight people were arrested after their vehicle was stopped en route to the track. All were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit public nuisance and remain in police custody.”

Before the two-day Derby Festival, Animal Rising’s Nathan McGovern said: “We are looking to continue the conversation that we started at the Grand National about our broken relationship with animals and nature. On the ground we are looking to cause the cancellation or severe delay of the event so that everyone in the country has this discussion.”

The outlay of £150,000 on additional security measures appears to have kept conversation to a minimum, even if Animal Rising are now being granted more of the publicity they crave here and elsewhere in print.

Any number of activists hell-bent on trespass could have hidden in plain sight