Racecourse Guide

Sandown Park
National Hunt

Esher, Surrey · home of the Betfair Tingle Creek Chase and the Railway Fences

⬤ National Hunt
Turf
Right-Handed
Uphill Finish

Shape

Right-Handed Oval shared w/ Flat

Track Type

Undulating, Uphill Finish

Fences

11 per circuit

Hurdles

6 per circuit

Signature Feature

Railway Fences 3 in quick succession

Run-in

300yd uphill

Direction

Right-handed

Course Highlight

Tingle Creek Chase Grade 1

Course Overview

Track Breakdown

Sandown Park’s jumps course shares the same right-handed oval footprint as its Flat track, at roughly 1m5f. Each circuit brings 11 fences, 7 of them concentrated in the back straight. The water jump is unusually sited after the last open ditch, reached by literally crossing the Flat course — a genuinely distinctive feature of a track where jumps and Flat racing share one circuit rather than running on separate footprints. The chase run-in is 300 yards and uphill, a stiff climb that regularly reverses apparent outcomes in the closing stages. Hurdle races run over 6 flights per circuit — 4 down the back straight, 2 on the home straight.

Sandown’s defining NH feature isn’t a race — it’s a fence sequence. The Railway Fences are three obstacles jumped in rapid succession on a downhill section of the back straight, ridden at real speed. The old racing adage captures it exactly: “meet the first one on the right stride and the others come easily” — a poor jump at the first fence tends to compound through the whole sequence. It’s widely regarded as one of the most demanding tests of jumping fluency at pace anywhere in Britain, and a genuine difficulty-multiplier rather than three ordinary fences that happen to sit close together.

The Chase Course

Circuit Right-handed, shares the Flat oval’s footprint, roughly 1m5f
Fences 11 per circuit, 7 concentrated in the back straight
Water jump Unusually sited after the last open ditch, reached by crossing the Flat course
Run-in 300 yards, uphill — regularly reverses apparent outcomes late on

The Railway Fences

What they are Three fences jumped in rapid succession on a downhill stretch of the back straight
The adage “Meet the first one on the right stride and the others come easily”
Why it matters A poor jump at the first fence tends to compound through the whole sequence — a genuine test of jumping fluency at speed

It’s a beautiful course to ride, especially down the back straight. Tactically, though, it’s vital to get into position before you get into the bend turning towards the home straight because, if you’re trying to improve your position there, it can lose you the race. The fences in the back straight, especially for a novice, put the emphasis in adaptability. They come at you pretty quick and they can break the rhythm of an inexperienced horse. Some say that, if you meet the first one right, you’ll meet them all right – but that’s not true. If you meet the first one spot-on, the chances are you’ll either be too long or too short by the last. Sandown’s run-in, although not especially long, can be very demanding, especially when the ground is soft. Horses get lonely on it and you see plenty wandering off-line, wondering where they’re meant to go.Mick Fitzgerald, former top jump jockey — At The Races

Notable Races

The Racing Calendar

Grade 1 · Early December

Betfair Tingle Creek Chase

1m7½f, 13 fences. Sandown’s marquee NH race. Paul Nicholls leads with 12 wins as trainer, Richard Dunwoody with 5 as jockey. Desert Orchid famously won the 1988 renewal as 12-stone top weight when it was still a handicap.

Grade 1 · December

Henry VIII Novices’ Chase

1m7½f. Run on the same card as the Tingle Creek Chase.

Premier Handicap Chase · Late April

bet365 Gold Cup

About 3m4½f, 24 fences. Founded 1957 as the Whitbread Gold Cup — Britain’s first commercially sponsored race and first sponsored National Hunt race. Arkle won the 1965 renewal under top weight of 12st7lb.

Grade 1 · Late April

Celebration Chase

1m7½f. Run on the same card as the bet365 Gold Cup.

Grade 1 · Early February

Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase

2m4f10y, 17 fences. The last Grade 1 novice chase before the Cheltenham Festival.

Military Amateur Riders · January

Grand Military Gold Cup

About 3 miles. First run in 1841 — one of Britain’s oldest continuously run races. Ownership restrictions to military connections were removed in 2023.

Two important corrections worth flagging: the Imperial Cup, a major 2-mile handicap hurdle run each March, is a genuine Sandown fixture and often attempted as part of an Imperial Cup/Cheltenham Festival double. But the Tolworth Hurdle is no longer run at Sandown — it relocated to Aintree from the 2023-24 season and was renamed the Formby Novices’ Hurdle. Older guides that still list it as a current Sandown Grade 1 fixture are out of date.

Pace Bias

Running Style Bias

No quantified strike-rate or A/E figures for NH running-style bias were available for Sandown — a genuine data gap. What is consistently reported is a discipline split, in the same vein as some other dual-purpose tracks: over fences, front-runners and prominent racers are somewhat favoured, and making up ground is described as “regularly hard” once a strong pace has been set. Over hurdles, the pattern flips — front-runners “can become something of a sitting duck” on the uphill run-in unless given a precisely judged ride, meaning hold-up and patient tactics are generally better suited to the hurdles course.

Run Style Bias — Qualitative, By Discipline

▲ Chases: Front-runners/Prominent

Somewhat favoured — hard to peg back once a strong pace is set

▲ Hurdles: Hold-up/Patient

Favoured — front-runners can be exposed on the uphill run-in

Treat this as directional, sourced reputation rather than statistical fact — no published dataset backs these bars with hard numbers the way it does at some other courses in this guide series.

Statistics · Since 2010

Top Trainers & Jockeys

Trainer	Runs	Wins	Win%	Places	Place%	A/E	P/L
1 Henderson, N J	457	103	22.54%	187	40.92%	0.93	-49.29
2 Nicholls, P F	557	98	17.59%	222	39.86%	0.91	-57.43
3 Moore, Gary and Josh	497	78	15.69%	143	28.77%	1.12	-7.60
4 Hobbs, P J / White, J	263	42	15.97%	98	37.26%	0.96	-27.36
5 King, A	194	32	16.49%	67	34.54%	1.11	+34.54
6 Williams, Miss Venetia	265	31	11.70%	78	29.43%	0.79	-96.92
7 Skelton, Daniel	227	25	11.01%	68	29.96%	0.77	-79.74
8 Pipe, D E	183	19	10.38%	45	24.59%	0.83	-81.14
9 Twiston-Davies, N A	174	19	10.92%	45	25.86%	0.78	-15.54
10 Longsdon, C E	130	18	13.85%	43	33.08%	1.23	+44.25
11 O’Brien, Fergal	92	18	19.57%	35	38.04%	1.41	+27.21
12 Tizzard, C L	139	17	12.23%	43	30.94%	0.89	-52.95
13 O’Neill, Jonjo and AJ	175	14	8.00%	44	25.14%	0.68	-79.12
14 Wadham, Mrs L	116	14	12.07%	35	30.17%	0.97	-27.34
15 Pauling, Ben	116	13	11.21%	38	32.76%	0.83	-48.29
16 Fry, Harry	86	13	15.12%	28	32.56%	0.78	-32.22
17 Murphy, Olly	67	13	19.40%	22	32.84%	1.28	-0.77
18 Mullins, W P	61	13	21.31%	28	45.90%	0.91	+2.68
19 Lavelle, Miss E C	93	9	9.68%	31	33.33%	0.70	-47.33
20 Snowden, Jamie	79	9	11.39%	30	37.97%	0.72	+6.71

Sandown NH, since 2010. N J Henderson leads the page on volume (103 wins from 457, 22.5% SR, A/E 0.93). The real value signals are C E Longsdon (A/E 1.23, +£44.25) and Fergal O’Brien (A/E 1.41, +£27.21). Oppose the over-bet Jonjo and AJ O’Neill (A/E 0.68), Miss E C Lavelle (A/E 0.70) and Daniel Skelton (A/E 0.77).

Jockey	Runs	Wins	Win%	Places	Place%	A/E	P/L
1 Moore, Jamie	270	47	17.41%	82	30.37%	1.18	-36.00
2 Cobden, Harry	233	41	17.60%	88	37.77%	0.92	-31.30
3 Boinville, Nico	178	41	23.03%	68	38.20%	0.93	-30.64
4 Johnson, Richard	224	39	17.41%	94	41.96%	0.98	+11.42
5 Geraghty, B J	135	34	25.19%	63	46.67%	0.95	-2.69
6 Jacob, Daryl	176	33	18.75%	71	40.34%	1.08	+5.33
7 Coleman, A	217	26	11.98%	68	31.34%	0.81	-70.59
8 Skelton, Harry	194	26	13.40%	65	33.51%	0.81	-65.96
9 Twiston-Davies, Sam	237	24	10.13%	70	29.54%	0.72	-59.66
10 McCoy, A P	100	22	22.00%	39	39.00%	0.92	-12.78
11 Fehily, Noel	115	21	18.26%	40	34.78%	1.10	+22.83
12 Bowen, Sean P	111	20	18.02%	40	36.04%	1.11	+31.56
13 Moore, Joshua	130	18	13.85%	36	27.69%	1.20	+33.82
14 Cannon, Tom J	153	17	11.11%	34	22.22%	1.10	-35.29
15 Sheehan, Gavin	135	16	11.85%	41	30.37%	0.83	-9.17
16 Bass, David	91	16	17.58%	28	30.77%	1.20	+8.94
17 O’Brien, T J	119	15	12.61%	38	31.93%	1.05	-11.69
18 Deutsch, Charlie	95	15	15.79%	33	34.74%	0.95	-13.17
19 Walsh, R	55	15	27.27%	24	43.64%	0.93	-6.52
20 Aspell, Leighton	144	14	9.72%	44	30.56%	0.82	-33.75

Sandown NH, since 2010. Jamie Moore leads the riders on volume (47 wins from 270, 17.4% SR, A/E 1.18, -£36.00) — the standout on the page. The real value signals are Joshua Moore (A/E 1.20, +£33.82) and David Bass (A/E 1.20, +£8.94). Oppose the over-bet Sam Twiston-Davies (A/E 0.72).

Sire Statistics · Since 2010

Top Sires

Sire	Runs	Wins	Win%	Places	Place%	A/E	P/L
1 Flemensfirth (USA)	152	25	16.45%	45	29.61%	1.28	+15.51
2 Midnight Legend	136	25	18.38%	53	38.97%	1.38	+29.71
3 Kayf Tara	215	23	10.70%	63	29.30%	0.74	-66.88
4 Milan	140	21	15.00%	39	27.86%	1.05	-7.62
5 King’s Theatre (IRE)	171	20	11.70%	50	29.24%	0.88	+3.73
6 Oscar (IRE)	137	19	13.87%	41	29.93%	0.95	-40.27
7 Presenting	153	17	11.11%	41	26.80%	0.77	-55.98
8 Kapgarde (FR)	95	17	17.89%	35	36.84%	1.19	+16.62
9 Walk In The Park (IRE)	82	15	18.29%	27	32.93%	0.86	-1.45
10 Westerner	126	14	11.11%	34	26.98%	0.75	-66.21
11 Getaway (GER)	88	14	15.91%	31	35.23%	1.15	-6.31
12 Beneficial	116	13	11.21%	39	33.62%	0.78	+48.75
13 Authorized (IRE)	71	13	18.31%	26	36.62%	0.97	-26.40
14 Shantou (USA)	83	12	14.46%	26	31.33%	1.11	+2.68
15 Martaline	98	11	11.22%	24	24.49%	0.69	-25.39
16 Stowaway	71	10	14.08%	27	38.03%	0.93	-27.43
17 Shirocco (GER)	66	10	15.15%	21	31.82%	1.27	+25.83
18 Yeats (IRE)	70	9	12.86%	21	30.00%	0.86	-32.96
19 High Chaparral (IRE)	35	9	25.71%	13	37.14%	1.25	+5.66
20 Poliglote	30	9	30.00%	12	40.00%	1.48	+12.68

Sandown NH, since 2010. Flemensfirth (USA) tops the sire list (25 wins from 152, 16.4% SR, A/E 1.28, +£15.51) — the standout on the page. The real value signals are Midnight Legend (A/E 1.38, +£29.71), Shirocco (GER) (A/E 1.27, +£25.83) and Kapgarde (FR) (A/E 1.19, +£16.62). Oppose the over-bet Martaline (A/E 0.69), Kayf Tara (A/E 0.74) and Westerner (A/E 0.75).

Insider Knowledge

Betting Angles

🚂

The Railway Fences Are the Defining Test

Three fences in rapid succession on a downhill stretch — a poor jump at the first compounds through the sequence.

🏆

Paul Nicholls Dominates the Tingle Creek

12 wins as trainer in Sandown’s marquee race.

⚠️

Don’t Follow Harry Cobden on Volume Alone

24 recent winners, the most of any jockey, but an overall level-stakes loss.

🔄

Chases and Hurdles Split on Pace

Front-runners hold an edge over fences, but hurdles flip toward hold-up horses.

⛰️

The Uphill Run-in Reverses Finishes

Sandowns stiff 300-yard uphill run-in regularly reels in horses that looked home turning in — do not give up on a strong stayer, and treat a soft-jumping leader with real caution late.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Citing the Tolworth Hurdle as a current Sandown race. It relocated to Aintree from the 2023-24 season and was renamed the Formby Novices’ Hurdle.
Assuming Nicky Henderson’s Sandown record is consistently strong. Recent figures (13% SR) are markedly worse than an older snapshot (26%) — the picture has genuinely shifted.
Backing Harry Cobden purely on his winner count here. He has the most recent wins of any jockey at the course, but an overall level-stakes loss.

Common Questions

Sandown Park Racecourse FAQs

What are Sandown’s Railway Fences?

Three fences jumped in rapid succession on a downhill stretch of the back straight — the course’s signature and most demanding NH obstacle, where a poor jump at the first tends to compound through the sequence.

Is the Tolworth Hurdle still run at Sandown?

No. It relocated to Aintree from the 2023-24 season and was renamed the Formby Novices’ Hurdle.

What is Sandown’s most important National Hunt race?

The Betfair Tingle Creek Chase, a Grade 1 run over 1m7½f each early December — Sandown’s marquee jumps fixture.

Is there a pace bias at Sandown over jumps?

Only qualitative reputation exists, not quantified data: chases somewhat favour front-runners, while hurdles flip toward hold-up horses, since front-runners can become exposed on the uphill run-in without a precisely judged ride.

Explore

Other Jumps Tracks

Kempton Park

Sharp, flat right-hander — home of the King George.

Cheltenham

Old Course and New Course — the home of jump racing.

Aintree

Home of the Grand National — Mildmay and National courses.

Want the thinking behind National Hunt bets?

FormDial posts every selection before the off with its full reasoning: the angle, the price, the logic. See how course analysis feeds into real selections.

Today’s Dial →

From the Formdial Shop

Going racing here?

The Trackside Companion is your day at the races, written to order — every race on your meeting’s card broken down, plus this track’s draw, angles and people distilled from the guide you’ve just read. Order at least a week before your raceday.

Plan your raceday →

Sandown ParkNational Hunt