The History of Kempton Park Racecourse

Kempton Park owes its existence to Samuel Howard Schwind, an entrepreneur who saw commercial potential in the flat meadowlands along the Thames between Sunbury and Hampton. In 1878, he established the racecourse on agricultural land that had previously been part of Kempton Manor, a modest estate from which the course takes its name. The first meeting was held on 18 July 1878, a flat fixture that drew a respectable crowd from London and the surrounding Surrey towns.

The timing was shrewd. The late Victorian era saw an explosion of interest in horse racing among all classes of society, and the expansion of the railway network was making it possible for ordinary Londoners to travel to courses that had previously been inaccessible. Kempton's proximity to the capital — and the construction of a branch line that would eventually deliver the dedicated Kempton Park station — made it perfectly positioned to capture this growing market.

The early years were devoted entirely to flat racing. The course was laid out as a right-handed circuit on flat ground, and it quickly established itself as a useful venue in the southern calendar. It wasn't in the top tier — that distinction belonged to Epsom, Ascot, Goodwood and Newmarket — but it attracted decent fields and offered competitive sport. The Jubilee Handicap, inaugurated in the 1880s, became one of the course's earliest prestige races and drew quality fields for several decades.

By the turn of the twentieth century, Kempton had grown into a well-established part of the racing landscape. A proper grandstand had been built, facilities had been improved, and attendances were healthy. The course had also begun experimenting with National Hunt racing, introducing jumping fixtures to supplement the flat programme. This dual-purpose approach would become a defining characteristic of the venue, setting it apart from the majority of British racecourses, which tended to specialise in one code or the other.

The First World War brought racing to a near-standstill across Britain, and Kempton was no exception. The course was requisitioned for military use, serving as a depot and training area. Racing resumed after the armistice, but the interwar period brought new challenges. Competition for racegoers was fierce, with multiple courses operating within the London catchment area, and Kempton had to fight for its share of the market.

It was during this period that the seeds of Kempton's most famous tradition were planted. The racecourse's management, looking for a way to differentiate the venue and attract attention during the winter months, began developing what would become the most significant jumps fixture outside of Cheltenham. The stage was being set for the race that would define Kempton Park for generations to come.

The moment that transformed Kempton Park from a useful metropolitan racecourse into a venue of national significance came on Boxing Day 1937, when the first running of the King George VI Chase took place. Named in honour of the recently crowned monarch, the race was conceived as a midwinter championship for steeplechasers — a Grade 1 contest over three miles that would serve as the definitive test between the autumn campaigns and the spring festivals.

The timing was inspired. Boxing Day was already a traditional day for sport in Britain, and placing a marquee jumps race on that date gave Kempton a claim on the national calendar that no other winter fixture could match. The King George quickly established itself as one of the most important races of the season, attracting the best chasers in training and generating the kind of public attention that transformed a suburban racecourse into appointment television.

The post-war decades cemented Kempton's position. The 1950s and 1960s brought sustained investment in facilities and a period of competitive excellence in the King George. The race became a key staging post in the careers of the era's top chasers, and winning at Kempton on Boxing Day carried a prestige that rivalled anything outside the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

The flat racing programme continued to thrive as well. Kempton's position close to London made it a popular training ground for horses aimed at the bigger prizes at Ascot and Epsom, and the quality of flat racing at the course was consistently strong throughout this period. The track attracted the leading southern trainers and their best horses, and several valuable handicaps became established fixtures in the calendar.

Attendances peaked during the 1970s and 1980s, driven by the extraordinary popularity of jump racing during this era and a succession of King George renewals that produced some of the most thrilling finishes in steeplechasing history. The course was regularly packed on Boxing Day, with crowds exceeding 20,000 braving the December cold to witness the mid-season championship.

This was also the period when Kempton's position as a television venue became firmly established. ITV's World of Sport and later Channel 4 Racing broadcast the King George to millions, turning Boxing Day at Kempton into a shared national experience that transcended the racing community. For many families, watching the King George after Christmas lunch became as much a part of the festive tradition as pulling crackers or watching the Queen's Speech.

The King George VI Chase has produced some of the most memorable moments in jumps racing history, and many of Kempton's greatest stories are inseparable from the heroes who lit up Boxing Day.

Wayward Lad was the first horse to truly own the race in the modern era. Trained by Monica Dickinson in Yorkshire, this tough, consistent chaser won three King Georges in the 1980s — in 1982, 1983 and 1985 — cementing his reputation as one of the outstanding staying chasers of his generation. Wayward Lad's ability to travel smoothly around Kempton's flat, right-handed circuit and quicken off the home turn made him the perfect horse for the track, and his King George treble set a standard that stood for two decades.

Then came Desert Orchid. The grey sensation who captured the public's imagination like no other racehorse of the twentieth century won the King George in 1986, and his performance at Kempton that Boxing Day was the moment many casual sports fans first became aware of jump racing's capacity for drama. Dessie, as he was universally known, was a front-runner who attacked his fences with breathtaking boldness, and the sight of him blazing around Kempton's sharp bends was among the great spectacles in sport.

But the King George's most remarkable chapter belongs to Kauto Star. Paul Nicholls' magnificent chaser won the race a record five times — in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011 — a sequence of dominance that may never be matched. Each victory had its own character. The first was a statement of intent from a horse of extraordinary talent. The second confirmed his supremacy. The third and fourth came in the face of increasingly strong challenges, including from his own stablemate Denman. And the fifth, in 2011, was perhaps the most emotional of all — a veteran champion rolling back the years to reclaim his crown at the age of eleven.

The 2011 King George remains one of the most celebrated moments in modern racing. Kauto Star had been beaten the previous year and many thought his best days were behind him. Ruby Walsh, his regular jockey, produced a masterclass of patient riding, allowing the old horse to find his rhythm before unleashing him in the straight. The reception from the Kempton crowd when he passed the post was extraordinary — racegoers who had watched this horse dominate the race for half a decade roaring their approval as he proved the doubters wrong one final time.

Beyond the King George, Kempton has witnessed countless other significant moments. The Christmas Hurdle, run on the same card, has been won by many of the best hurdlers of their era. The all-weather programme has produced its own notable races, including valuable handicaps that have launched the careers of subsequent Group-race performers. And the course has served as the stage for numerous dramatic finishes, photo finishes and shock results that remind you why horse racing retains its capacity to surprise.

The flat racing history, though less heralded, includes quality performances in races like the September Stakes and various conditions events that have attracted smart horses from the leading Newmarket and Lambourn yards. Kempton has always been a course where good horses can put up meaningful performances, regardless of the code.

The twenty-first century has brought Kempton Park both transformation and existential threat, reshaping the course in ways that would have been unrecognisable to the Victorian founders.

The most significant change came in 2006, when the Jockey Club — which had acquired ownership of Kempton — installed a Polytrack all-weather surface to replace the existing turf flat course. The decision was driven by hard economics. All-weather racing could run year-round, unaffected by the frozen ground, waterlogging and abandonments that plagued winter turf fixtures. By converting to Polytrack, Kempton could host a busy programme of flat racing throughout the year, generating consistent revenue and providing a reliable venue for trainers and owners.

The change was controversial at the time. Purists lamented the loss of turf flat racing at a course with over a century of tradition, and there were legitimate concerns about whether all-weather racing could generate the same atmosphere and quality. But the commercial logic was sound, and the all-weather programme quickly became one of the busiest in the country. Kempton now hosts dozens of flat meetings a year on the Polytrack, including popular evening fixtures that draw a steady crowd of regulars.

The turf jumps course was retained, ensuring that the King George VI Chase and the wider National Hunt programme continued on traditional ground. This dual configuration — all-weather flat racing plus turf jumps — gave Kempton a unique character among British racecourses.

In 2017, the Jockey Club announced plans that sent shockwaves through the racing world: a proposal to close Kempton Park entirely and sell the land for housing development. The plan envisaged relocating the King George to Sandown Park and using the proceeds from the property sale to fund investment across the Jockey Club's estate. The proposal triggered fierce opposition from racing fans, local residents and prominent figures within the sport, who argued that Kempton's heritage — and particularly the King George's association with the course — was irreplaceable.

After a prolonged and often heated debate, the plans were shelved. Kempton Park was saved, and subsequent investment has focused on modernising facilities while preserving the course's unique character. The episode served as a stark reminder of the financial pressures facing British racecourses and the tension between commercial imperatives and sporting heritage.

Today, Kempton operates as a thriving dual-purpose venue. The all-weather programme provides the commercial backbone, the jumps fixtures deliver the prestige, and the Boxing Day meeting remains the crown jewel — a fixture that draws national attention and reminds the wider public why Kempton Park matters.

Kempton Park's legacy in British racing is complex and distinctive. It has never been the grandest course, nor the oldest, nor the most fashionable. What it has been, consistently, is important — a venue that has shaped the sport in ways that belie its modest suburban setting.

The King George VI Chase alone would secure Kempton's place in history. The race has produced a roll call of champions — from the tough, battle-hardened warriors of the post-war era through to the brilliance of Kauto Star — and its Boxing Day slot has given it a cultural significance that extends far beyond the racing community. Millions of people who never set foot on a racecourse know about the King George. It's part of Christmas, woven into the fabric of the festive season, and that kind of public consciousness is something most sporting events can only dream of.

But the legacy goes deeper. Kempton pioneered the modern all-weather programme that has become indispensable to British flat racing. When other courses were losing fixtures to bad weather and struggling to maintain viable calendars, Kempton demonstrated that a high-quality all-weather operation could deliver consistent, competitive racing throughout the year. The model has since been replicated at other venues, but Kempton was among the first to prove it could work.

The course's survival in the face of the 2017 closure threat has itself become part of the story. The successful campaign to save Kempton demonstrated that racecourses are more than commercial assets — they are repositories of memory, tradition and community. The outpouring of support from racegoers, trainers, jockeys and the wider public was a powerful reminder that some things in sport cannot be reduced to a balance sheet.

For the racegoer, Kempton's legacy is perhaps best understood in personal terms. It's the Boxing Day you went as a child and saw your first steeplechase. It's the midweek evening meeting where you backed a winner on the all-weather and celebrated with strangers at the bar. It's the train ride from Waterloo with a racecard on your knee and the anticipation building with every station. Kempton Park doesn't shout about its history — it doesn't need to. The memories speak for themselves, and new ones are made every time the gates open. For the full picture of what this course offers today, see our complete guide to Kempton Park.