Sandown Park is one of the most popular racing venues in the UK, staging both flat and National Hunt action throughout the calendar year.

Constructed in the heart of Surrey around 150 years ago, plenty of important races are staged at Sandown Park, including the Coral-Eclipse Stakes. Sandown Park also hosts the end-of-season meeting for the National Hunt season, where the prizes for Champion Jockey and Champion Trainer are handed out.

The only Group One race to be held at Sandown during the flat season is the Coral-Eclipse Stakes. This race is one of the most important in the UK, as it provides three-year-olds with their first opportunity to tackle older horses in top-level company.

Over jumps, five Grade Ones are handed out at Sandown Park, including the Tingle Creek Chase and the Tolworth Hurdle. Sandown's season-ending meeting in April is headlined by the lucrative Celebration Chase.

Sandown Park is a right-handed, oval-shaped track. The turn into the home straight is exceptionally tight and the final few furlongs before the finishing line climb steeply uphill.

The chase course at Sandown is iconic, thanks to the fearsome railway fences - a stretch of seven obstacles that are crammed onto the back straight of the course. Sandown's chase track is one of the most difficult tests of jumping in the country.

Flat runners tred the same turf as the hurdlers do during the National Hunt season. There's also a straight five-furlong sprint track situated in the centre of the round course.

On the five-furlong sprint track, horses drawn down towards the inside rail seem to have a slight advantage. 

That bias switches when you move over the round course. Horses drawn high seem to have an advantage over a variety of trip. However, if a strong front-runner is drawn low, they can get away from the field rounding the tight bend into the home straight.

Over the last five years, Charlie Appleby has been the trainer to follow, winning with almost 30% of his runners are Sandown during that time period. John Gosden and William Haggas aren't far behind, with both striking at around 25%.

Over jumps, Paul Nicholls is the man to follow. His 20% strike rate is slightly higher than Colin Tizzard, Nicky Henderson and Philip Hobbs, who also boast impressive records around this track.

Nico De Boinville is the most successful rider around Sandown in recent years, winning with almost 26% of his rides. Harry Cobden and Tom O'Brien are also worth following whenever they ride out at Sandown Park.

On the level, Frankie Dettori has won with 35% of his rides around Sandown since 2017. Ryan Moore, William Buick and Silvestre De Sousa also ride the flat track particularly well.

Sandown Park was given a grand opening when it was first opened to the public in 1875. Sandown was the first racecourse to build a members' enclosure. It was also the first course to charge the public for entry, with each ticket costing at least half a crown.

One of the first big races to take place at Sandown Park was the Grand National Hunt Chase. This race is now run at the Cheltenham Festival, under the name of the National Hunt Challenge Cup.

When it's not staging racing, Sandown Park is regularly used for other social events and music concerts. Trade, property and wedding fairs, toy shows and car auctions list among the private functions that take place at this racecourse.

Sandown Park Racecourse

Esher

Surrey

KT10 9AJ

By Road - The racecourse is well signposted, and easy to get to from M25, A3 and A307, depending on what part of the country you're traveling from.

By Rail - Sandown is within walking distance from Esher railway station, which is served by trains coming out of London Waterloo. Esher station also has travel links from Walton-on-Thames, Hook, Southampton Central and Woking.

By Air - The nearest airport to Sandown Park is London Heathrow, which is approximately 12 miles away from the racecourse.