From the Racing Post website. Makes me yearn for the days when I was a lad, where the police would have gone in, boxed a few ears and sorted it out. The youth of today has not had adequate limits set and is of the opinion it can do just whatever it bloody well pleases. RIOT police had to intervene after violence broke out on Derby day at Epsom, with 11 arrests made at the track on Saturday. One eyewitness claimed a fight broke out between two groups of teenagers, with bottles reportedly being hurled in anger, leaving innocent bystanders to take evasive action to avoid injury. "After the last race people were just kicking off, throwing bottles," said the spectator, quoted in the Evening Standard, who claimed "hundreds" were involved at the peak of the violence. He added: "Then another group of boys had a fight and started throwing things into the middle, where people were standing. "There were people screaming, saying there were knives too. But the bottles were worse than the knives. It looked like 1.5 litre bottles of vodka were getting smacked over 17-year-olds. People fled because of it." He added: "When there were lots of fighters, that's when police started moving in. Everyone was saying the Queen could probably see the fights from where she was." Surrey Police have appealed for witnesses to come forward, claiming it was a "small minority" who caused the trouble. Temporary chief superintendent Jerry Westerman said: "The Investec Derby festival is a hugely popular event attracting many thousands of people from both the local area and wider afield. The majority of visitors come to have a good time and enjoy themselves and it is a small minority who cause trouble and spoil the atmosphere. "Surrey Police will not tolerate this kind of behaviour and anyone who can assist officers with their investigation is urged to do the right thing and come forward. "I would appeal to anyone who witnessed the incident or may have captured it on camera to contact police - any information could help officers piece together the events and bring those responsible to justice."
All too common nowadays, I avoid big meetings like the plague now as too busy and too many piss heads who wouldn't know the arse from the head of a racehorse. Watch the big days on the TV and enjoy a trip during the week or evening meeting, you will be able to move about with ease, get closer to the horses and the action and not have some idiot announcing to the world about how little he can take his drink. I went to the Derby for about the last 7 years before it moved to a Saturday, I went to the first Saturday and then said never again, after that I went to the Oaks on the Friday and had a much better day. I have not been to Epsom for about 7 or 8 years now however.
You do get a lot of Billy Big Bollocks turning up at these big meetings now. The train station on Aintree week being another example!
I was in the Grandstand on Saturday for Derby Day and I can highly recommend it. Yes it used to be not so good, but I have to hand it to the sponsors Investec, they have done a superb job of smartening up the facilities for the Derby festival. there was no trouble in there at all, and very few signs of drunken behaviour unlike in the past. the problems on Saturday were clearly on the hill and this is the one (crucial) thing which needs sorting out on Derby Day. firstly the numbers going there are decreasing year on year which is a shame. It should be being promoted as one of the best free days out for Londoners but it is not. Investec would rather people did not know about the free entry to the hill so they can get more people into the now more expensive enclosures. the result is that increasingly the only people that go are the local teenagers who seem to be increasingly running wild. finally the start time - ok 4.30pm is fine but please no later as "Derby Day" will be destroyed. the TV figures continue to decrease year on year anyway and the later start time appears to have made no difference. I hope that ITV do not press for an early evening Derby which I fear they might. If that happens then the crowds attending will reduce further and the whole Derby day experience will be lost.
Pretty sure this used to happen in the 18th century, causing similar outcries about The Youth Of Today etc.
"Times are bad. Children no longer obey their parents, and everyone is writing a book." — Marcus Tullius Cicero
