Sandown Racecourse

Sandown Racecourse, also known as Ladbrokes Park, is located near the suburb of Springvale in Melbourne’s south-east, approximately 25km from the Melbourne city centre. The Melbourne Racing Club, which also oversees racing at Caulfield and Mornington, is in charge of organising racing at Sandown. The majority of meetings at Sandown Racecourse take place on Wednesdays.

The Sandown Racecourse is home to two horse racing circuits, one known as “Sandown Hillside” and the other called “Sandown Lakeside”. Not just home to horse racing action, the Sandown Racecourse also features a motor racing circuit on the outside of the horse track, referred to as Sandown Raceway. In addition, Sandown Park is a Greyhound racing venue, located to the south-west on the other side of Lightwood Road.

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Racing at Sandown Racecourse began in 1965, making it the newest metropolitan racecourse in Australia as well as the only one built in the 20th century. Racing at Sandown Racecourse was overseen by the Victoria Amateur Turf Club (VATC), which also oversaw racing at Caulfield. 

Due to the growing number of international horses attending the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival, Sandown Racecourse constructed a quarantine centre in 1997. The Sandown Racetrack also underwent significant renovations in 1999, with the Sandown Cup also being modified at the same time. The Sandown track's marquee event was renamed the Sandown Classic and was converted from a handicap race to weight-for-age rules with increased prize money.

In 2001, the VATC began a five-year plan to build an additional turf track at Sandown Racecourse, the new track would be dubbed Sandown Hillside, with the existing track would be renamed Sandown Lakeside. As part of the plan, the VATC also changed to become the Melbourne Racing Club (MRC) we know today. 

The new Hillside portion of the Sandown racetrack incorporated an additional 30-metre wide home turn, as well as the main straight, now shared by both tracks, being widened to 45 metres from its original 30 metres, and widening the turn leading out of the straight to 45 metres as well.

The Melbourne Racing Club organises more than 40 race meetings at Sandown Racecourse over the year. As well as the regular Wednesday race meetings, the Sandown track is home to multiple group grade races during the season

The most historic of these races is the Zipping Classic, renamed from the Sandown Classic after four-time winner Zipping. The race is held every year in November and is run over a distance of 2,400 metres at the Sandown track. The event, which is worth $750,000, is held on the same day as the $350,000 Group 2 Sandown Guineas for three-year-olds.

Grand National Hurdle Day - (Sunday, 31st July 2022)
The Grand National Hurdle is a 4200m jumps race run over the Lakeside section of the Sandown Racecourse. Held every year in July this race boasts a prize pool of $300,000 and is open to horses which have either won a jumps race or have placed in a jumps race other than a maiden race.

• Grand National Hurdle 4200m $300,000 HCP
• Crisp Steeplechase 4200m $125,000 SW+P

Underwood Stakes Day - (Sunday, 25th September 2022)
As of 2021, the Group 1 Underwood Stakes was transferred from Caulfield to Sandown racecourse as part of a slew of adjustments made by Racing Victoria to their Melbourne spring racing carnival. The $1,000,000 weight-for-age event is run over 1800m at the Sandown track and is contested each year on the final Sunday in September, following the AFL Grand Final.

• Group 1 Underwood Stakes 1800m $1,000,000 WFA
• Group 3 Sandown Stakes 1500m $200,000 HCP
• Testa Rossa Stakes 1300m $175,000 HCP
• Jim Moloney Stakes 1400m $175,000 3YO

Zipping Classic Day - (Saturday, 26th November 2022)
Although traditionally held at Sandown Racecourse, for 2022, Zipping Classic Day will be held at Caulfield Racecourse before Caulfield is closed for redevelopment. The Zipping Classic, formerly known as the Sandown Classic, is a Group 2 weight-for-age race held in mid-November over 2400m. It is named after the late Zipping, who won the event four years in a row from 2007 to 2010.

• Group 2 Zipping Classic 2400m $750,000 WFA
• Group 2 Sandown Guineas 1600m $350,000 3YO
• Group 3 Kevin Heffernan Stakes 1400m $200,000 WFA
• Group 3 Eclipse Stakes 1800m $200,000 OPEN
• Group 3 Summoned Stakes 1600m $200,000 SW+P

Caulfield Racecourse will be largely closed for the 2022-23 racing season following Caulfield Cup Day, with Sandown Racecourse picking up the majority of their feature race meetings until Caulfield's redevelopment is completed.

As a result, on February 11, 2023, Sandown Racecourse will host the Group 1 C.F. Orr Stakes. The Blue Diamond Stakes, held a fortnight later at the Sandown track, will showcase the nation's best two-year-old talent, while the historical Oakleigh Plate and Futurity Stakes will also be run on the same day on February 25, 2023.

Sandown Hillside is the larger of the two tracks at Sandown Racecourse and has a diameter of 2087 metres and a straight of 491 metres, while the Lakeside track has a radius of 1891 metres and a straight of 407 metres. Both sections of the track are made of turf and all races are run in an anti-clockwise direction.

The Sandown track has been designed to be suitable for all weather situations and is regarded as one of Australia's top wet weather tracks. It's a wide course with a long straight and a steep uphill run home that puts a horse's true character to the test. Sandown Racecourse is best suited to strong finishers or horses capable of finding another gear under pressure in the long straight.

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Sandown Racecourse Starting Positions

• 1000m (Hillside): The starting chute for this distance is located at the back of the Sandown track, with a 500m straight leading into the home straight. Barriers are not important here.
• 1200m (Lakeside): This start is located on the back straight of the Lakeside course proper, with two sharp turns before runners enter the home straight. Inside draws can provide a slight advantage in a large field.
• 1400m (Hillside & Lakeside): The Hillside start is located on the back straight and presents a fair chance for all runners. On the Lakeside start the straight to the first turn is short and inside barriers can hold an advantage.
• 1600m (Lakeside) & 1800m (Hillside): Both starts are located in a chute off the back of the Sandown racecourse proper. Barriers are of minimal importance with a long straight run along the backside of the course to the first bend.
• 2100m (Lakeside) & 2200m (Hillside): These starts are located on the home straight, just in front of the spectators in the grandstand, with a straight run of around 400m leading to the first turn. Inside barriers provide a marginal benefit.
• 2400m (Hillside & Lakeside): Starts for this distance are at the top of the home straight, as seen in our Sandown Racecourse track map. Runners face a long straight run of about 700 metres before the first turn, as such barriers are mostly insignificant. 

On any given day, online bookmakers provide a wide range of racing promotions and bonus bet offers, with many of them changing on a daily basis. Betting on races with promotions is an excellent way to reduce your bet's risk while increasing your return.

Sandown Racecourse is one of Australia's most popular racetracks, so it's no wonder that most online bookmakers actively market a variety of bonus bet offers when it has meetings.

These promotions will commonly include money back promotions, which allow customers to get their stake returned if their horse finishes second or third. Check out our Bonus Bets page for more information on the latest bonus bet offers at Sandown Racecourse.

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Online bookies such as Playup and Palmerbet will often provide a variety of promotions that will appeal to both regular punters and those who only place one or two bets a year on events such as the Zipping Classic.

However, there is a range of other bookmakers offering great promotions every day. Make OnlyRacing your first stop if you want to take full advantage of all the bookies have to offer. We compare all bookmaker promotions in one place to help you get the most out of your betting. If you're looking for horse racing promotions in Australia, OnlyRacing should be your first point of call.

Sandown Racecourse has over 40 race meetings every season, with the Sandown Guineas and the Zipping Classic serving as the finale of the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival.

Patrons interested in seeing a different type of horsepower can check out the motor racing action at Sandown Raceway. The 3.1km-long motorsport circuit has 13 turns and features six major motorsport events in Australia each year, including the Sandown 500, Historic Sandown, and the Easternats.

The Sandown Park Greyhound Track, located on the other side of Lightwood Road from Sandown Racecourse, conducts meetings every Thursday and Sunday. The legendary Melbourne Cup for greyhounds is held at Sandown Park, as is the richest greyhound staying event, the $250,000 Group 1 Sandown Cup.

Sandown Racecourse has a variety of amenities, rooms, and areas available for hire. The Multipurpose Room, located on the ground level of the main grandstand, is one of Sandown Racecourse's most adaptable function venues. This 2,000 square metre space is primarily used for hosting conferences, trade shows, banquet dinners, and festival events.

Ladbrokes Park
591-659 Princes Highway, Springvale VIC 3171
Mail: Sandown Racecourse
PO Box 231, Caulfield East VIC 3145
Ph: (03) 9518 1362
Fax: (03) 9518 1331
Website: https://mrc.racing.com/
Email: [email protected] 

Car:

It is approximately a 30-minute drive to Sandown Racecourse from the Melbourne CBD. Simply follow the Monash Freeway or the Princes Highway to the Springvale Road exit, then follow the signage and keep an eye out for the turn-off to Sandown Racecourse. On race days, there is plenty of free public parking available in the Centre Car Park.

Train:

Patrons can access Sandown Racecourse via a 40-minute train trip from Flinders Street Station in Melbourne, on either the Cranbourne or Pakenham Lines. Simply get off at Sandown Park Station which is right next to Sandown Racecourse

Bus:

The bus to Sandown Racecourse leaves from platform bay 6 at Chadstone Shopping Centre and takes around 45 minutes. Take the 800 bus to Dandenong and get off at the Corrigan Road and Princes Highway Springvale stop, then walk across the street to Sandown Racecourse.

Taxi:

If you are arriving by taxi, you can be dropped off in front of the main gate on Racecourse Drive. Taxi stands are positioned in front of Sandown Racecourse's main entrance for when you depart.