PRESS RELEASES / NEWS

It’s a double whammy at Sandown Park next weekend, with the traditional Grand Military Gold Cup Day on Friday 6^th March and the Paddy Power Imperial Cup Day the following day, Saturday 7^th March. With top quality racing on the cards, spring just around the corner and the Cheltenham Festival just days away there will be plenty going on to whet the appetite for two fantastic days racing.

This year the theme for Comic Relief is “Do Something Funny for Money” and Sandown Park is definitely getting into the swing of it with a Space Hopper Race in the paddock before racing starts on Saturday, to raise money for the worthwhile cause. Top jockeys and trainers will be taking part and it is sure to be very amusing, as the jockeys swap their normal four legged partners for space hoppers! Not only that but racegoers will be able to do their bit for charity as well; Sandown Park will automatically give £2 to the charity for anyone who comes to the course on Saturday and buys a ticket on the day wearing a Comic Relief red nose.

With the world famous Cheltenham Festival starting just a couple of days after the racing at Sandown Park, racegoers can get in the mood when a panel of experts discuss their thoughts after racing on Saturday. Paddy Power, spokesperson for bookmakers Paddy Power, will be taking part along with leading owner Andy Stewart and top trainer Nicky Henderson and there is sure to be plenty of opportunity to pick up a few useful tips.*

Racegoers will also get the chance to see some of their favourite equine heroes parading in the paddock before racing starts on Saturday as part of the Retraining of Racehorses (ROR) parade. ROR work tirelessly to ensure that racehorses that have finished their careers on the racetrack can be trained in other areas of equine sport so that they can continue to enjoy life to the full. Those parading include Make A Stand, winner of the 2007 Champion Hurdle and Celibate, a Grade 1 winner at the Punchestown Festival in 1999.

Friday will see the 168^th running of The Grand Military Gold Cup and the race has seen some thrilling action in its time. It held a special place in the heart of The Queen Mother who had five winners in the race and was Patron of the Meeting for over thirty years.

Advanced tickets cost just £22 for Premier Enclosure and £15 for Grandstand Enclosure. On the day tickets are £25 and £18 respectively. Racing is a great social occasion and group bookings of 12 or more receive a 20% discount. To book tickets please call Sandown Park on 01372 47 00 47 or visit www.sandown.co.uk

* The Cheltenham Preview takes place in the Esher Hall at 5.15pm and is free of charge.  Please note it is on a first come, first serve basis.

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