“Is this the line for the cocaine?” the man jokes, as we queue for the toilet cubicles at Epsom Racecourse.
Despite being extremely drunk, he has managed to identify the real reason why I am here. Not to participate myself, but to see if I can find evidence of the reportedly growing drug problem in racing.
During my two days at the Epsom Derby Festival, where more than 60,000 people gathered for one of the sport’s most prestigious events, I witnessed the apparent sights and sounds of drug use several times.
On ‘The Greatest Show on Turf’ I found references to cocaine use not only commonplace, but sometimes celebrated, with seemingly obvious drug users being pushed as favorites at the finish line.
The Derby Festival took place at Epsom Downs Racecourse on 31 May
Getty
And cocaine seemed to be winning by a nose, if you’ll pardon the pun.
As he wandered from stable to stable, it was not unusual to hear the sound of snorting.
In one toilet a disembodied voice shouted: “Oi guys, it’s snowing here!”, while in another toilet a man joked: “Nothing to see here, officer!”.
One scene took place in the toilets near Tattenham Food Court.
I watched as two men were loudly cheered as they ducked into the same stall together, while another using the urinal shouted at the pair: “Oi, give me a sniff!”. However, they ignored him and were done before he had even zipped up his pants.
And all this took place despite the presence of His Majesty King Charles III and Her Majesty Queen Camilla, who presented the winners’ trophy on Ladies’ Day.
It signals new evidence that racing’s “Peaky Blinders” remain an ongoing concern for the sport.
King Charles and Queen Camilla attended the Betfred Derby Festival’s ‘Ladies Day’
Getty
First highlighted in April by former jockey and trainer Charlie Brooks writing in The Telegraph, he warned how young men, who emulated the style and habits of gangsters from the BBC drama series, were “completely changed” once “polite sporting meetings” such as the Cheltenham Festival.
Calls for tighter security followed, but despite sniffer dogs at the entrance, bag searches, amnesty bins and dozens of uniformed police officers, it is seemingly clear that cocaine has still found its way into Epsom.
But GB News can reveal that the drug problem in racing appears to be more diverse than just cocaine.
We used a surface wipe screening kit that tests and identifies residue from ten individual drug groups. When a drug above the cutoff is detected, a single line will appear in the ‘control’ area to indicate a positive result.
Tests we carried out on surfaces in Epsom toilet blocks indicated the presence of various narcotics.
This image appears to show a positive test for cocaine (Coc) tested at Epsom Derby Festival
GB News
Although cocaine appeared to be the most common Class A drug, our tests also indicated the presence of crystal meth – both drugs with a possible prison sentence of up to seven years for possession.
Also found to be present were benzodiazepines or ‘benzos’, an opioid that causes memory loss and muscle relaxation, and is often linked to cases of binge drinking and date rape.
We also found evidence of medications used to prevent withdrawal from opioids, such as heroin. Buprenorphine was the most common, together with methadone.
Although such tests are limited and can provide only a preliminary analytical result at best, 47 percent reported at least one controlled substance.
This is despite the joint efforts of Surrey and Sussex Police and The Jockey Club’s own event security.
Police say 10 arrests were made over the two days, only one of which was for suspected possession of class A drugs.
A spokesperson for The Jockey Club, which operates Epsom, Aintree and Cheltenham racecourses, said: “We at The Jockey Club are passionate about providing safe and enjoyable experiences for everyone who visits our venues and tens of thousands of people who joined us over the two days at Epsom Downs did so while behaving in a considerate and responsible manner.
Police said 10 arrests were made in two days, with only one on suspicion of possession of Class A drugs
Getty
“Unfortunately, drug use is a growing social problem and this is something that horse racing in Britain is working hard to combat, with The Jockey Club operating a zero-tolerance policy towards illegal substances at all our racecourses.
“A range of measures were introduced at Epsom Downs, including sniffer dogs, bag searches and patrols at all entrances, as well as amnesty bins. Anyone attempting to access the site in possession of illegal substances was refused entry and given no refunds for their ticket purchases, with such cases also reported to police.
LATEST NEWS:
“In addition, we would always urge anyone who has reason to suspect any form of anti-social behavior to contact our teams or the police on site as soon as possible.”
A spokesperson for the British Horseracing Authority, which is responsible for the governance, administration and regulation of horse racing and the wider horse racing industry in Britain, said: “Racing is a sport that everyone can enjoy and the key to this is ensuring to ensure racegoers have a positive experience when attending racecourses.
“We condemn all forms of anti-social behaviour, including drug use. This is currently a wider societal problem, but it is also a problem for sporting events, which is why sport must take action to discourage its use. We are aware that our colleagues at British racecourses are working hard to reduce their impact on race days and we support these efforts.”