Kempton Racecourse Guide

The closest racecourse to central London, situated 16 miles south-west of Trafalgar Square, Kempton Park is a dual-purpose track serving both National Hunt and all-weather racing all year-round.

Kempton is most famous for its Christmas Festival, with the Boxing Day action headlined in often spectacular style by the Grade 1 King George VI Chase.

Racing at the Sunbury-on-Thames venue dates back to the 19th century and looks sure to prevail long into the future after a potential sale of the racecourse for development purposes was vetoed.

Here's our guide to Kempton Park racecourse.

Kempton Racecourse Location

Where is Kempton?

Kempton Racecourse is situated in Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey, on the border of Greater London and just 13 miles from the centre of the capital.

How to get to Kempton Racecourse

By Train

Kempton is one of the easiest racecourses to get to by rail in England, thanks to its own on-site train station, Kempton Park.

Trains run every half an hour direct from London Waterloo, with the journey time being just 40 minutes, and the station is just 200yds from the North entrance.

By Car

• The postcode for the course is TW16 5AQ

• The track is located on the A308 and can be found less than one mile from Junction 1 of the M3 via Junction 12 of the M25

• Free parking is usually available to racegoers, although fees may apply during the Christmas Festival

By Air

Kempton is a popular visit for international racing fans, being situated just 25 minutes from London Heathrow and only 45 minutes from Gatwick.

Kempton Racecourse Layout

Track Layout

All-Weather Course

The AW surface in use is Polytrack and Kempton is a flat, oval-shaped course with two loops.

The inner circuit, used for races over five, nine and 10 furlongs is sharp and has a finishing straight of just under two furlongs, favouring the speedy types.

The turn on the outer course is more sweeping and the straight is almost three furlongs in length, providing a very fair test for all horses.

Jumps Course

The right-handed 1m5f jumps track is practically flat and the fences are considered fairly easy. To that end, Kempton often favours speedier horses who travel strongly in their races, with a 220-yard run-in also helping those types.

They must also handle the intersections with the all-weather circuit, while winners of the three-mile King George are often required to 'prove' their stamina elsewhere, at the likes of Cheltenham.

Enclosures and Viewing Areas

The main grandstand at Kempton is where most choose to watch racing at the Sunbury-on-Thames venue, but there are a number of other enclosures too, which are as follows:

• The Clubhouse - an annual members area

• Clubhouse private boxes

• Panoramic Restaurant

• Festival Bar (Christmas Festival only)

• Kauto Star bar

• Desert Orchid suite

Key Races at Kempton

King George VI Chase

Run over 3m and featuring 18 fences, the King George VI Chase is the feature race of Kempton's Christmas Festival and takes place every Boxing Day.

It is the second-most prestigious Chase in England, behind only the Cheltenham Gold Cup, and has been a favourite race of some of the sport's greatest-ever horses, with Desert Orchid a four-time winner and Kauto Star landing it on five occasions.

Christmas Hurdle

The Christmas Hurdle also takes place on Boxing Day, is worth around £130,000 and is considered the second leg of the Triple Crown of Hurdling, between Newcastle's Fighting Fifth Hurdle and the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham.

Constitution Hill has won the last three runnings of the race and landed the Triple Crown in 2023.

Coral Trophy

The Coral Trophy Handicap Chase landed 2025 winner Katate Dori over £85,000 in February, making it one of the most prestigious contests over fences in the UK.

The three-mile contest, once known as the Racing Post Chase, is a popular target for trainers, as it often serves as a trial for the Grand National.

Kempton Racecourse History

Kempton Racecourse opening date

Businessman Samuel H Hyde bought the land in 1872 and, six years later, the first ever race was held at Kempton on 18th July 1878.

All-Weather Track opening date

The Flat racing at Kempton was run on Turf until 2005, when the racecourse closed for construction of the brand new all-weather track.

April 2006 marked the first time the all-weather track was used and all of the key Flat races the course is known for, such as the Magnolia Stakes and Roseberry Stakes, were moved to the new surface.