ITV hits eight-year Derby high as almost 2.3 million tune in for teatime Classic

Almost 2.3 million viewers watched Serpentine's shock Investec Derby success on ITV, with the broadcast capturing the biggest audience for the Classic in eight years.

Saturday's race – which was off at 4.55pm – was the most viewed Derby since Camelot's win in 2012, the last time the race was shown on BBC1. The audience on Saturday was also 31 per cent higher than last year when the race was won by Anthony Van Dyck.

A Saturday Investec Oaks was watched by 1.5 million, an increase of 600,000 viewers from a year ago. Epsom confirmed the Oaks will revert to its usual Friday slot next year.

Serpentine: winner of Saturday's Investec Derby by five-and-a-half lengthsCredit: Edward Whitaker

The average audience throughout Saturday's four-hour broadcast, between 1.30pm and 5.30pm, was 1.2 million, an impressive 51 per cent increase from Derby day last year.

ITV's figures have excelled since racing's resumption following the coronavirus pandemic. Over a million watched each of the five days of Royal Ascot, with 1.8 million seeing Hayley Turner's win in the Sandringham, and last week's Northumberland Plate similarly attracted seven figures.

Saturday's figures are a further boost, with racing's coverage holding its own when clashing with pubs in England reopening and five behind-closed-doors Premier League matches.

'People are falling in love with racing again'

Lead presenter Ed Chamberlin aspired to hit the two million audience mark when first joining the ITV Racing team and was delighted to hit that Derby target on Saturday.

Chamberlin, speaking at Sandown on Coral-Eclipse day, said: "I'm thrilled with that number and we're all really pleased. I always wanted when we set out to get two million to watch the Derby, so to have got 2.3 million in our fourth year is pretty cool.

"It's been a good few weeks and it feels like, post-Royal Ascot, that people are falling in love with racing again, which is great for the sport.

"I always talk about the power of the racing family and we've seen the BHA, owners, trainers, jockeys, stable staff and everyone else united and pushing the sport in the right direction. At ITV, we're very thankful of that and these figures shows the effect of that.

Ed Chamberlin: believes the racing community has united to get the sport back up and running following the coronavirus pandemicCredit: Edward Whitaker

"We were worried with things opening up, the pubs and talk of motorways being crammed might affect numbers. The weather wasn't great, which helped us, but more importantly we had a really intriguing Derby and stories like Pyledriver that captured people's imagination. We had 16 runners at 3-1 the field which is a huge thing too."

Simon Durrant, general manager of Epsom Downs racecourse, added: “The ITV team did a fantastic job of bringing Investec Derby day to life, just as they have throughout this period of behind-closed-doors racing.

“With this year’s Derby and Oaks taking place on one day and without a crowd able to join us on the Downs, both ITV and Racing TV helped demonstrate exactly why this is one of the biggest days in the British sporting calendar.”

Review Saturday's action from Epsom:

Serpentine stuns Derby rivals for O'Brien to win a race as strange as the day

Emmet McNamara: from pony racing to an Epsom Derby masterclass

2020 Investec Derby full result: where your horse finished and who won

Balding confesses to 'hollow' feeling after Derby yields mixed fortunes

Racing Post experts give their horse to take out of the Derby

Barber's shop chat shows it's Derby day – but people's race is missing people

For all our exclusive free bet offers and must-have daily promotions click the free bets button or go to racingpost.com/freebets