CARTMEL Racecourse

A practical guide to CARTMEL Racecourse, including its track layout, jumping test and the courses most likely to provide useful form clues.

About CARTMEL Racecourse

Cartmel racecourse is unique in that it is the only racecourse in the country that doesn't have a grandstand. They currently only race at Cartmel on 7 days a year but it is a very unique and intimate course that is not to be missed.

Key Characteristics

Cartmel racecourse is the Jump racing equivalent of Chester on the flat. It is little over a mile all the way round, and to say it is tight would be an understatement, as horses are permanently on the turn. The distance from the last bend to the winning post is just a little over a furlong, however the run from the last fence to the finish of half a mile is the longest in the country. As you would expect Cartmel suits small nippy horses, and also helps front running horses. It is most definitely a course specialist racecourse.

Course Summary

Track: Very tight left handed and undulating track with a stiff finish.

Fences: Easy

Interesting Facts

Racing at Cartmel is thought to date back to the 12th century, with local legend suggesting the tradition began with monks from Cartmel Priory racing mules across the sands to Lancaster.
The first recorded Whit Monday meeting took place in 1856, and racing has been held on the site in some form ever since.
In 1869 there weren't enough horses entered to fill the card, so human foot races were run in their place.
Cartmel Racecourse and its surrounding land have long belonged to the Holker Estate, home to the Cavendish family.
The steeplechase course boasts the longest run-in of any track in Britain, at a full four furlongs (804 metres).
Every winning connection at Cartmel takes home a Cartmel Sticky Toffee Pudding as a prize.
Despite its small-course charm, Cartmel regularly draws crowds of over 20,000 on its biggest days, rivalling Aintree and Cheltenham.
The most famous moment in Cartmel's history is the "Gay Future Affair" of August 1974 — an audacious betting coup later dramatised in the 1980 film Murphy's Stroke, which gave a young Pierce Brosnan (the future James Bond) his screen debut.

Similar Courses

Form from the following courses may be particularly relevant when assessing runners at CARTMEL:

There is nowhere like Cartmel!