About Lingfield Park Racecourse

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Lingfield Park launched the newly resurfaced Polytrack in October, 2012, showing commitment to the future growth of All-Weather Racing in the UK.

This latest investment, complemented by the regeneration of this famous racecourse (construction of a £5.5 million grandstand and 4* Marriott Hotel), puts Lingfield Park firmly on the map as a major state-of-the- art racing, conference and leisure destination with facilities to match or better any in the country.

Best known as a winter All-Weather Flat course, Lingfield Park also stages Flat Racing in the summer and National Hunt, both on turf. Located in a 450-acre (1.8 km) estate and opened in 1890 by the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII), who also agreed to let Lingfield Park incorporate the Prince of Wales feathers into its official heading, the course initially held Jump Racing only. The Jockey Club granted permission for Flat Racing to be held in 1894 and it has continued ever since.

In 1982 the new owners installed flood defences on the estate to alleviate flooding. A golf course was developed and this opened in June, 1987. Lingfield Park was granted permission to construct a 10-furlong left-handed Equitrack All-Weather track on the inside of its turf course in December, 1988.The Surrey racecourse staged Britain’s first fixture on an artificial surface on October 30, 1989.

Rapporteur was one of the first specialist performers on Equitrack, racking up 14 victories on the surface. Trained in Lambourn by Charlie Elsey for most of his career and owned by Richard Berenson, Rapporteur also won five times on turf at Lingfield Park. In fact, all his successes came at Lingfield Park, despite racing 33 times at other courses.

Other specialists at Lingfield over the years have included Respectable Jones, an 11-time winner between 1990 and 1994, Krystal Max, who scored 13 times from 1995 to 2001 and Bank On Him, successful a dozen times between 1999 and 2005.

The Winter Derby was introduced at Lingfield Park in 1998, with the first running going the way of future globetrotting star Running Stag. Trainer Philip Mitchell’s flagbearer won three Grade Two events in America, as well as running in Dubai, France, Germany and Hong Kong.

The Winter Derby was given Listed status in 1999 and upgraded to Group Three level in 2006. The 2005 winner Eccentric was a seven-time scorer at Lingfield Park and also a Group Three turf winner at Windsor. He was subsequently sold to race in North America and captured a Grade Two race at Woodbine in Canada.

Recent winners of the 10-furlong contest have included Farraaj, who went on to run well in Group One races in Australia, Hong Kong and Dubai following his Lingfield Park win in 2013.

Tryster, an impressive victor of the Winter Derby in 2015, has also progressed to success on the international stage, with victory in this year’s Group One Jebel Hatta in Dubai.

The surface at Lingfield Park changed to Polytrack from Equitrack in November, 2001 and this switch was the key in attracting better horses onto the All-Weather, whether to race or to work.

A prime example of the latter came the following March when Ireland’s champion trainer Aidan O’Brien brought a six-strong team, headed by Breeders’ Cup hero Johannesburg and 2,000 Guineas favourite Hawk Wing. The sextet also included Sir Alex Ferguson’s Rock Of Gibraltar, who went on to win five consecutive Group One races, Sholokhov and Racing Post Trophy runner-up Castle Gandolfo. After the workout, O’Brien described the surface as: “brilliant, absolutely first class – the jockeys said it rode beautifully.”

Castle Gandolfo returned in April, 2002 to win the inaugural running of the International Trial, which has been captured by Dubawi Gold (2011) and Van Der Neer (2013), and both Richard Hannon-trained colts went on to be placed in the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket. The 2014 winner of the Listed race, Bow Creek, trained by Mark Johnston in Yorkshire, has since captured Group Two contests in the UK, Ireland and Australia.

Lingfield Park stages nine other Listed races each year on Polytrack, which have been won by subsequent Group One scorers Paco Boy and Gitano Hernando in recent years.

It also worth paying close attention to maidens. Snow Fairy captured a six-furlong maiden in July, 2009, and subsequently annexed six Group Ones around the world, while Monterosso took a mile maiden the following January and progressed to land the 2012 Dubai World Cup, the world’s richest race.

Lingfield Park made history on April 18, 2014 when becoming the first English course to stage racing on Good Friday. A sell-out crowd attended All-Weather Championship Finals Day which boasted a total of £1 million in prize money, making it the richest ever day of All-Weather racing.

The second All-Weather Championship Finals Day was equally successful on Good Friday, April 3, 2015 when Channel 4 Racing broadcast the action in addition to At The Races.

The All-Weather track runs around the inside of the turf. It is a left-handed loop and follows much the same line as the turf course in the home straight and the back straight, but turns sharply for home at the end of the back straight and is 1m 2f in length.

The track gently rises to a slight hill at the start of the back straight before running downhill around the bottom corner and into the home straight where it levels off. The result is that the 1m, 7f, 6f and 5f starts are all downhill, which contributes to Lingfield being the sharpest of the All-Weather tracks.

Record Times at Lingfield Park 

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* QUICK GUIDE TO All-WEATHER CHAMPIONSHIPS FINALS DAY 2016 – CLICK HERE *

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Karen Sargeant

Karen can usually be found glued to her computer or at the stables. Having edited several national magazines she co-founded Eclipse Magazine in 2008 after realising that many of her friends were nervous about going racing due to lack of information – what to wear, how to bet etc.

She absolutely loves her job (how many people can say that?!) and is truly grateful to all supporters of and contributors to Eclipse Magazine.

If you are reading this she would like to say THANK YOU! (And please spread the word about Eclipse…!!)