Following a narrow defeat in the Beresford Stakes he was sent to England and ended his season by winning the Group One William Hill Futurity in a track record time.
He was from the last full crop of foals sired by Petingo, the leading English two-year-old of 1967, a year in which he was rated the best horse of any age in Europe by the independent Timeform organisation.
Sandy Creek's dam Keep Right never raced but was a daughter of Narrow Escape who won the Chesham Stakes and was a half-sister of the Timeform Gold Cup winner Pushful.
He then started a 33/1 outsider for the Group One National Stakes over the seven furlongs at the same track but belied his odds by finishing third to Tap On Wood and Dickens Hill, beaten a length after being slightly hampered by the winner in the closing stages.
Bolide took the lead from the start and set a very strong pace, whilst Sandy Creek was settled behind the leaders and turned into the straight in fourth place.
[9] In the inaugural International Classification for two-year-olds, Sandy Creek was the highest-rated Irish-trained horse and the equal fourth-best juvenile in Europe behind Tromos, Irish River and Sigy.