The Jockey Club won a High Court injunction against rising animal protesters ahead of the Epsom Derby

The Jockey Club has won a High Court injunction against Animal Rising protesters who plan to disrupt the Betfred Derby at Epsom next weekend.

The claim was made by The Jockey Club, which owns Epsom Downs alongside many other top-flight tracks, as it believed the organization had ‘explicitly’ indicated it intended to breach the security of the venue. Surrey Racecourse to stage a disruptive protest.

News of their plans came after the disruption of the Grand National at Aintree in April, when the race was delayed for just over 10 minutes after protesters took to the track and had to be cleared by police .

Jockey Club officials feared the Epsom protest could put participants, racing fans and horses at risk – although they say they do not reject the right to peaceful protest and have offered Animal Rising an area near the entrance to the racecourse specifically for this purpose on Derby day, 3 June.

The injunction granted by High Court Judge Sir Anthony Mann prohibits individuals from entering the racecourse and performing other acts with the intent and/or effect of disrupting racing.

These acts include intentionally bringing objects into the racetrack, entering the parade ring, entering and/or remaining on the course of the horses to the parade ring and to the racecourse without permission, and intentionally endangering any person at Epsom Downs racecourse during the two- day Derby Festival.

Persons acting in violation of the court order could be subject to contempt of court proceedings, which could result in a fine and/or imprisonment.

Jockey Club General Manager Nevin Truesdale said: “Our number one priority will always be to ensure that the safety of all our equine and human participants and spectators, officials and our own employees is not compromised.

“Animal Rising has made it clear on several occasions that it intends to break the law and disrupt the Derby Festival, which has left us no choice but to seek this injunction, after consulting a number of stakeholders, including Surrey Police.

“We will never tolerate a repeat of the unlawful disturbance we saw at Aintree on Grand National Day and we welcome today’s High Court decision, which gives us an extra layer of security to fight against the threat of such dangerous and reckless behavior.

“We believe everyone should have the right to peaceful protest and have offered Animal Rising an area near the entrance to Epsom Downs Racecourse to voice their views within the law.

“However, anyone who tries to disrupt the race or compromise the safety of horses or humans will be dealt with firmly by our security teams and the police.

“As such, I now urge Animal Rising to abandon any plans to breach security at Derby Festival and respect the legitimate rights of the thousands of people who will join us at Epsom Downs and the millions of people watching at home. and the world to enjoy the sport they love without interruption.