The Cheltenham Gold Cup, Champion Hurdle, Queen Mother Champion Chase and Stayers' Hurdle will be staged over similar distances but under different names.

And they will all carry Grade One status at the two-day event on 27-28 April.

The changes give Sandown a highly impressive card that also features top Flat events, the Group Two Masai Mile and Group Three Heathorns Gordon Richards Stakes.

"I think you'll see two days of unprecedented top quality Flat and jump racing," said Andrew Cooper, group racing manager for Sandown's owners United Racecourses.

"We normally get 3,000 to 4,000 on the Friday and it is only speculation but we could be aspiring to double that figure.

"Whitbread day averages between 12,000 and 14,000 and sometimes more, so we could be in for two record days."

Sandown officials have played down fears that the course will struggle to cope with the bumper crowds.

Precautions to prevent the spread of foot and mouth disease and construction work on a new grandstand will disrupt accessibility.

The building work restricts the space in the grandstand and the car parks.