At The Races

Sandown

Situated just half an hour from the centre of London, Sandown Park is one of Europe’s premier tracks. The standard of racing is always high, the facilities are excellent, and the viewing generally good being a natural amphitheatre — apart from the sprint course which bisects the main track and is some distance form the stands. The mile and a quarter Eclipse Stakes in July is Sandown’s only Group One race — it is the first chance for the season’s best three-year-olds to take on the older generation at the highest level. One of Sandown’s best fixtures takes place in the spring, a mixed card featuring the Betfred Gold Cup but also some informative classic trials. The stiff uphill finish has provided some electrifying finishes, both on the flat and over jumps.

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Flat
Jumps

In my opinion, there is no better track to go and watch jump racing at live. The spectacle of top class chasers taking the seven fences in the back straight (in particular the open ditch opposite the stands) is one of the best sights in British racing. Add to that the stamina sapping climb to the finish and this natural amphitheatre is just about the perfect venue for steeplechasing. The three Railway Fences (the closest grouped three obstacles in British racing) are obviously a key element in any chase — get the first right and you can steal lengths; get the first one wrong and you’re in real trouble — but clean accurate jumping is really essential throughout. The hurdles track — on the flat course — can become extremely testing in mid-winter and it is much harder for a front-running hurdler to score here than a bold-jumping front-running chaser. As at Kempton, trainer Nicky Henderson has a good record here while Victor Dartnall has done well from a small number of runners. Ruby Walsh and Barry Geraghty both ride the track extremely well.

Directions

By road: The best route from London is to take the A3 and follow the signs to Sandown Park. Alternatively from the M25 turn off at Junction 10 and follow the A3 back towards London for 2 miles to the junction with the A307, where the course is well sign-posted.

By rail: Esher railway station is adjacent to the back entrance of the racecourse. On a race day, racegoers can walk along the platform before taking a short cut at the end of the platform which brings them to the turnstiles half way down the back straight.; It takes around 25 minutes to get to Esher from London Waterloo and trains leave in the afternoon approximately every 30 minutes. Trains run more frequently, roughly every 15 minutes, during evening racing.

Sky 415 | Virgin 534

Race Cards, Odds & Results Fri 3rd Sep

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Sandown

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