Sandown Park is planning to mark the end of the jump season on April 29th with a number of attractions for the public, it announced today.
In addition to the feature events of the day - the £115,000 Whitbread Gold Cup, and the Thresher Classic Trial and Marriott Hotels Stakes on the Flat - there will be a new challenge race between Flat and jump jockeys.
The Beefeater Restaurant National Hunt vs Flat Jockeys Challenge over one mile on the level will see six jockeys from each code take each other on, the teams picked by Frankie Dettori and Tony McCoy.
There will be a 'Parade of Champions' during racing featuring the season's equine stars while after the final contest there will be an end-of-season awards ceremony for the campaign's champion owner, trainer and jockey.
There will also be a firework display to end the day.
Sandown Park general manager Steve Brice said: 'As this was the first time that Sandown has staged the final day of the National Hunt season, we wanted to mark the occasion in style.'
Whitbread announced on Wednesday that they were to continue to sponsor the day's big race for a further two years, reversing an earlier decision to pull out of race sponsorship.
