Kempton Park Racecourse & Betting Review: Top Events, Best Offers and Facts

Here in our complete bettor’s review of the world-famous Kempton Park we’ll be providing you, our readers, with a complete overview of the best betting sites for wagering on the different races at the venue. To start you off, we’ve put together this nice, easily-digestible table which shows you some of the best welcome bonuses and payout prices on the market as well as info relating to betting types and special event promotions. The remainder of the page is dedicated to providing general facts and stats, some historical insights and technical course specs. Go ahead: scroll down and get the full report as we continue!

The Turf Itself

The Kempton Park racecourse made the change to an all-weather turf in 2006. It is a flat, oval-shaped course consisting of two loops. The inner loop is used for races between five and ten furlongs with the outer loop reserved for the longer-distance races. Both courses are flat throughout, however, the inner course is noticeably sharper and has a run-in of roughly two furlongs, which tends to suit nimbler, more handy competitors. The outer track has wider turns with a run-in of around three furlongs, which makes it just a little bit easier to handle.

The turf course is more triangular in form and hosts races of two miles and above. Overall its a fair course with quite easy fences; there are, however, three that come in reasonably quick succession toward the end of the race, which means that runners have to keep enough energy in the tank to see out the final push.

Most Popular Kempton Park Horse Racing Events

The annual winter festival at Kempton Park is undoubtedly its most-prestigious and most-popular meeting. Held over two days with Boxing Day as the opener, its feature races include the Kauto Star Novices’ Chase, a Grade One chase of three miles for horses aged four and above; the Christmas Hurdle, a two-mile event worth £120,000; the Desert Orchid Chase, a commemorative event for the late Desert Orchid, a real star of the track; and the King George VI Chase, which is undoubtedly the greatest race of them all and the second most-important steeple chase in the British jump season.

Other meaningful events include the Lanzarote Hurdle, a Handicap event held in January; and the Roseberry Stakes the Magnolia Stakes and the Magnolia Stakes, all of which are flat racing events. Be sure to keep a look out for special Kempton Park horse racing promotions, particularly around Christmas time, where it’s not unusual to find a healthy selection of odds price boosts and bet insurances deals for the feature races!

Some Interesting Facts

Did you know that the Kempton Park horse racing track is the closest racecourse to the centre of England’s capital city? Situated 16 miles south-west of Charing Cross in Sunbury-on-Thames, it’s a stunning course with plenty of land, two lakes, and also hosts an antique market on the second and last Tuesday of each month. There are also gourmet restaurants, public bars and large halls that are often used for business conferences and weddings.

Racecourse Information:
First Opened:	1878	Kempton Park logo The Grandstand at Kempton Park
Max. Race Distance:	3m 110y
Surface:	Turf
Event:	King George VI Chase
Average Temperature:	2°/23°
Racecourse Capacity:	22000

Did you also know that Kempton Park installed an all-weather surface back in 2016?! Something that stands out compared to some other tracks we’ve looked at. Over 56 tonnes of specially-made wax – courtesy of the Australian-owned Martin Collins Polytrack company – was added to the track in the final stages of construction to minimise surface kickback. The refurbishment – made possible by the Jockey Club – reportedly cost close to £1 million and was spread over four years of work. The new turf has allowed for flat racing events to be held all-year-round and thus revolutionised Kempton Racecourse park betting, seeing millions of extra revenue in betting money made every year.

Kempton Park Racecourse: The Story so Far

Kempton Park’s showcase event, the King George VI Chase is one of those events that has produced some truly legendary champions. Kauto Star, the French thoroughbred that has a horse named in his honour at Kempton, won the event an unprecedented four years in a row between 2006 and 2011. He was one of the most successful steeplechasers of his era and retired with two Cheltenham Gold Cup titles (2007 & 2009), four Betfair Chase championships (2006, 2007, 2009, 2011) and an Ascot Chase, along with several more titles – not to mention career earnings of £3,775,883 and a Timeform rating of 191. It’s possible that Kempton Park horse racing betting would not be quite the lucrative market it is today without competitors such as Kauto Star.

Another memorable champion of the Kempton Park horse racing track was Desert Orchid (also known as Dessie). His valiant, attacking style and impressive versatility made him a real crowd favourite. Like Kauto Star He won the King George VI Chase four times (although not consecutively) and also won the Cheltenham Gold Cup. His career achievements include a Whitbread Gold Cup (1988), a Tingle Creek Chase (1988), a Racing Post Chase (1990) and an Irish Grand National (1990) and he retired with a Timeform rating of 187. As well as the race at Kempton named in his honour, he also has a display with a statue, headstone and ashes at the venue as well as another race named after him at Wincanton.