Kempton Park

directions

All weather:
Jumps:

Directions to stable yard

Stables: Kempton Park Racecourse, Staines Rd E, Sunbury-on-Thames TW16 5AQ

Kempton Park is one of the most distinctive racecourses in Britain because it combines two very different identities in the same place. It’s a right‑handed, fairly sharp, triangular track with a long home straight, and the flat course is now entirely on the all‑weather surface, which gives it a consistent, reliable racing line throughout the year. The Polytrack layout encourages smooth, handy types with a turn of foot, and the pace of races can change quickly because the bends come up fast and the straight is long enough for closers to have a chance if the early fractions are strong.

Alongside the all‑weather flat track sits the jumps course, which has a very different feel. The fences are fair but come at a rhythm that rewards fluent, accurate jumping, and the track’s speed means that mistakes are punished more severely than at more galloping venues. The King George VI Chase on Boxing Day remains the centrepiece of the entire calendar at Kempton, a mid‑winter championship test for top‑class staying chasers that often shapes the season. The Christmas Festival as a whole still draws big crowds and high‑quality fields, and the atmosphere on those days is unlike anything else in the jumps season.

Because the course is so close to London and sits right beside the railway line, it attracts a broad mix of racegoers, from regulars to casual visitors. Evening all‑weather fixtures give it a busy, metropolitan feel, while the big jumps meetings retain a more traditional racing character. The layout allows spectators to see a large proportion of the action, and the modern grandstands keep it one of the more polished and accessible venues on the circuit.

Winners at Kempton Park (17)