Lingfield Park Racecourse

From Hunt Meeting to All-Weather Pioneer

Lingfield Park began as a hunt meeting in the 1880s, with the racecourse formally opening on 15 November 1890 on a course laid out by R.C. Leigh. It raced on turf for a century before becoming the first British course to install an all-weather surface – Equitrack in 1989, replaced by Polytrack in 2001. The move transformed Lingfield from a modest regional course into a year-round racing venue, with fixtures on the all-weather surface running through the winter months when most turf courses are closed.

Today Lingfield offers racing under both codes: flat racing on both the Polytrack and turf surfaces, and occasional National Hunt racing on the turf course. The all-weather track is a left-handed oval of about a mile and a quarter; the turf course is a left-handed triangle with sharp undulations, including a steep downhill run into a right-handed bend that makes it a unique test.

Key Meetings

The Lingfield Derby Trial in May is a genuine trial for the Epsom Classic – the undulating left-handed track mirrors Epsom's characteristics, and nine Trial winners have gone on to win the Derby itself, most recently Anthony Van Dyck in 2019. Throughout the year, Lingfield hosts popular evening meetings in summer, ladies' days, and themed racedays that attract a mix of serious racing fans and social racegoers.

Practical and Accessible

Lingfield sits in the Surrey countryside near the Kent and Sussex borders, served by Lingfield station with direct trains to London Victoria. Arena Racing Company (ARC) owns and operates the course. The on-site Lingfield Park Marriott Hotel & Country Club offers overnight stays for race meetings. Lingfield is the only racecourse in Britain to offer all three codes of racing: flat all-weather, flat turf, and National Hunt. It is a less glamorous venue than Epsom or Sandown, but it races more frequently than either – around 90 fixtures a year – and for residents in south and east Surrey it is the local racecourse – a straightforward evening out with a genuine sporting edge.