Sandown Park Racecourse & Betting Review: Popular Events, Top Offers and Facts

The table shown above highlights some of the best betting sites on the UK market when it comes to betting on the different races held at the Sandown Park – top welcome offers for new players, payout prices and betting types etc. The rest of the review, however, aims to take a closer look at the Racecourse itself. As well as providing some specific details about the track, we will also be looking at the feature races held here and sharing a few fun facts, stats and figures along with some interesting historical info. Keep reading for the full report below.

The Turf Itself

As previously mentioned, Sandown Park Racecourse is a dual-purpose venue with two tracks: a flat track and a National Hunt track. The flat is shaped like an oval, right-handed and about 13 furlongs in extent. Short-distance races are held on the 5-furlong track, it is on an uphill gradient throughout and runs through the middle of the main circuit. It’s a course that suits larger, galloping types and requires a fair amount of stamina as there’s an uphill climb to the finish after the final turn.

The jumps course is widely considered to be one of the best in the country. There are a total of 11 fences of which seven come in the back straight and in pretty quick succession. They come pretty hard and fast, so although the track does suit galloping types, adaptable, confident jumpers also fare well here.

Most Popular Sandown Park Horse Racing Events

Sandown Park horse racing is best known for three key meetings in July, April and December. The meeting in April features the Bet 365 Gold Cup (previously named the Whitbread Gold Cup) and the Celebration Chase. The former is a Grade 3 chase of 3 miles 5 furlongs and 110 yards reserved for horses aged five and above and the latter is a Grade 1 chase of 2 miles for horses of the same age. Both events signal the end of the British jump racing season. In July there’s the Coral Eclipse Stakes, a Group 1 flat race of worth £750,000 of 1 mile 1 furlong and 209 yards; and then in December there’s the Tingle Creek Chase, a Grade 1 chase of 1 mile 7 furlongs and 119 yards for horses aged four and above. There are often a decent amount of bookmaker promotions available for events at Sandown, so make you keep your eyes peeled, especially in the lead up to the aforementioned events.

Some Interesting Facts

The level of competition at the Sandown Park horse racing track invariably means that there will be some fine runners in attendance. The hall of fame at the racecourse demonstrates this, with some memorable names having graced the turf down the years. Even in recent times some truly great runners have featured; for instance Giant’s Causeway, an American stallion bred in Kentucky won the Coral Eclipse Stakes in 2000 as well as the Irish Champion Stakes, the Sussex Stakes, the St. James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot, and the Juddmonte International Stakes at York – all Group Ones races – all in the same season.

Racecourse Information:
First Opened:	1875	Sandown Park Racecourse logo The Grandstand at Sandown Park Racecourse
Max. Race Distance:	3m 5f 110y
Surface:	Turf
Event:	Coral Eclipse Stakes
Average Temperature:	3°/23°
Racecourse Capacity:	18000

Golden Horn, a British-bred colt and winner of the same race in 2015, is another big name. He had a stellar season that year, taking home winner’s honours in the Feilden Stakes the Dante Stakes, the Epsom Derby, the Irish Champion Stakes and the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. He also won two prestigious awards, the Cartier Champion Three-year-old Colt (2015) and the Cartier Horse of the Year (2015), for his exploits. The Tingle Creek Chase has also produced some great champions in Kauto Star, Sizing Europe and Sprinter, Sacre, to name but a few. The status of Sandown Park Racecourse betting has undoubtedly been enhanced by runners such as these.

Sandown Park: The Story so Far

Sandown Park Racecourse first opened in 1875 and was the first venue to charge a fee to all those wishing to enter. The first meeting was held in over three days in April of that year and everyone had to pay at least half a crown to get in. It featured the Grand National Hunt Chase, a race that is today held at Cheltenham, and paid £2,130 to the winner, which was a large amount back then! In the same year, it also became the first racecourse in the country to include a winner’s enclosure. As a widespread pastime, Sandown Park horse racing betting only became popular around the mid-twentieth century.

In more recent times, the Sandown Park horse racing track has gained a reputation as one of the most popular racecourses in the British. Not only does it host a great number of top-level events – some of which have been discussed in the earlier sections – but, back in 1984, the Queen Mother ranked it as one of her favourite locations. This was, however, at least partly due to the fact that one of here horses, Special Cargo, won the Whitbread Cup (Bet-365-Gold-Cup) in the same year! Today, it is known for being one of the plushest throughout UK racing tracks, dual-purpose with state-of-the-art training facilities, public areas and stunning architectural structures.