Course Overview
Kempton Park lies just 16 miles from central London. This proximity to the capital along with its picturesque setting of grassland, woodland and two beautiful lakes, makes Kempton a well-attended and well-enjoyed venue by many.
Kempton switched to an all-weather track in 2006 and the surface in use is polytrack.
Kempton is a flat, oval-shaped course with two loops. The inner circuit, used for races over five, nine and ten furlongs is sharp and has a finishing straight of just under two furlongs, favouring the speedy, handy type, particularly over the minimum trip.
The jumps course is a triangular track of one mile five furlongs, with a 220-yard run-in. It hosts many great meetings throughout the year with the biggest its fantastic Boxing Day event.
Course Details
Kempton Park Racecourse
Staines Road East
Shepperton
Sunbury-on-Thames
TW16 5AQ
By Foot or Car – Kempton Park racecourse can be found on the A308 between Sunbury-on-Thames and Hampton Court, less than a mile from Junction 1 of the M3. Limited free parking is available but once it fills, you can expect to pay around £5 for a space. Details for your sat nav are above.
By Train – The easiest way to get to Kempton Park Racecourse is by train because the course has an on-site railway station! Kempton Park Station is 200yds from the course’s north entrance, and trains run every half hour from London Waterloo.
By Air – The course is a 15 minute drive from Heathrow Airport and 45 minutes from Gatwick Airport.
Bus – Coaches and shuttle buses run from the nearby BP site, 10 minutes away, on major event days.
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Hotels close to Kempton Racecourse
Brief History
Kempton Park Racecourse was born from an idea by investor Samuel H Hyde who stumbled upon Kempton Park and Manor in 1872 and saw it was for sale.
Some six years later, he had leased the grounds and built the racecourse. The site is noted in the Domesday Book along with the manor, although today, no buildings of the house still exist (although there are some Victorian gateposts still in place).
Kempton was an invaluable resource to the British forces during World War I, being requisitioned for the war effort and used as a transport depot for military vehicles. As a result, the ground was not left suitable for racing to resume immediately after the war, so races continued while it was fixed at Gatwick, Hurst Park and Sandown.
Since then, Kempton has continued to flourish and remains an important venue in British horseracing.
The current grandstand was completed in 1997, and the all-weather track installed in 2006.
The site briefly closed (2 May 2005 – 25 March 2006) to reopen with a new all-weather polytrack (synthetic material) main track and floodlighting to enable racing at all light levels and all but the most severe bad weather.
Flat racing from 2006 is run on the synthetic track so the historic "Jubilee Course", a mile long spur which joined the main track by the home bend, used for the "Jubilee Handicap" which parred the Cambridgeshire and the Stewards' Cup in seniority, was abandoned. It is now overgrown for racing; however, it joins the outskirts of the park as part of the green belt.
Race Calendar
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Wednesday 2 June – Evening Flat
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Wednesday 9 June – Evening Flat Racing
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Wednesday 23 June – Evening Flat
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Wednesday 30 June – Evening Flat Racing
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Wednesday 7 July – Evening
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Monday 2 August – Afternoon Flat Racing
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Wednesday 4 August – Evening Flat
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Wednesday 11 August – Evening Racing
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Tuesday 17 August – Afternoon Flat
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Wednesday 18 August – Evening
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Friday 25 August – Evening Flat Racing
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Friday 3 September – Evening Flat Racing
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Saturday 4 September – September Stakes Day
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Monday 13 September – Floodlit Flat Racing
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Wednesday 29 September – Floodlit Flat
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Monday 11 October – Floodlit Flat
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Tuesday 19 October – Floodlit Flat Racing
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Monday 1 November – Afternoon Flat
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Monday 29 November – Afternoon Flat Racing
Summary
Kempton Park is one of the busiest racecourses in the UK with all-weather racing taking place all year round.
However, Kempton will always be most well-known for its national hunt and particularly as the home of the King George VI Chase held every year on Boxing Day – a race won by racing legends such as Kauto Star and Desert Orchid.
Kempton is a splendid course, 16 miles outside London, with a great atmosphere and customer service. It is owned by The Jockey Club