Punching Above Our Weight
Although Cartmel is one of the more intimate National Hunt courses, our fabulous visitors who attend in their thousands suggest otherwise! We often have the third-highest average attendance of any jump track in Britain, just behind the much larger sites at Aintree and Cheltenham – this can be over 20,000 on a single day.
You might be wondering what makes a race day at Cartmel so popular? For one, the friendly and accessible site nestled right by the stunning village makes for a spectacular day; you can easily pass between trackside and sightseeing and back again. The other is the unique makeup of the track, with a challenging course and viewing close to the action from starting tape to finish line. at all times. In fact, you even have to cross the track to enter the paddock!
A unique, left-handed oval track known for its sharp turns and undulating terrain, the course is around 1-mile (1.6 km) round, with six fences, and has a four-furlong (804 metre) run-in on the Steeplechase course – the longest in the country. These features together present a distinct challenge to both horses and jockeys, testing skill, experience and mentality. What’s more, that long final straight bisects the paddock, meaning that the chase to the finish line is surrounded by spectators as the race reaches its climax. All these elements add up to an exhilarating race for all present.
All About Atmosphere
Offering so much more than racing, Cartmel is known for its festival atmosphere, bringing people in for attractions, concerts and events as well as the racing itself. The village is a mediaeval gem and a destination in its own right, whether for the nearby Lake District and AONBs, or for the Michelin-star foodie paradise of nearby restaurants.
The race meetings are well-known as relaxed affairs despite the rather intense races, with plenty of time to explore between the race days themselves. The carnival atmosphere is never far away, inviting racegoers to absorb the occasion and giving an intoxicating feel for competitors.
Sweet, sweet victory
There is one other distinctive and famous feature that the course is known for. Each winning connection receives a serving of world famous Cartmel Sticky Toffee Pudding to mark their victory. Besides the prize money and prestige, we rather think that this is the real thing jockeys have in their mind as they race down the home straight… It’s a little touch that gives the racecourse a real sense of individuality.
Cartmel’s Most Successful Runners
There have been several serial winners at Cartmel, each gaining popularity for their skill and mentality. In 2004, Deep Mystery became the first horse to win a massive seven races. Unbelievably, this was then equalled by the famous Soul Magic in 2013. Would their impressive records ever be beaten?
Astonishingly, Tonto’s Spirit went one better in 2022, as his runaway victory in the 2m5f handicap chase made him the first eight-time winner. Owner Arthur Slack bought him for a mere £700 at Doncaster as a three-year-old, with trainer Dianne Sayer carefully shepherding him towards greatness.
His first win at Cartmel was won at 33-1 – it’s safe to say he never ran at those long odds again!
Cinematic Gold
The Gay Future Scandal (covered in THIS piece in 2024) was an infamous attempt to con bookmakers and racegoers in August 1974. While the plot was discovered, the ruse foiled and the cheats went home empty handed, it still found its way into history.
So much so in fact, that they made a film about it! Murphy’s Stroke, made in 1980, detailed an only-slightly fictionalised version of the Gay Future scanding, handing a screen debut to none other than the future James Bond, Pierce Brosnan.
For practical reasons, Ludlow racecourse provided much of the film’s paddock footage, but when it came to filming the race sequence itself, the distinctive surroundings of Cartmel meant that only the real thing would do!
To add to the realism, the race scene even featured Jonjo O’Neill and Ron Barry, jockeys who had run in the real race five years earlier. The provider of the horses, stable owner Sir Gordon Richards, insisted that real jockeys should be used in place of stunt riders, both to protect the horses and to provide a more realistic showdown.
It’s a real time capsule, and testament to the fame of the incident. And, for what it’s worth, all the better for being shot here at Cartmel…
Cartmel Jockeys Challenge
In more recent times, we’d like to highlight some racing news. Jockey Charlotte Jones, of Barrow-in-Furness, made history in 2024’s summer season when she became the first female jockey and the first conditional rider to win the Cartmel Jockeys Challenge since the competition was introduced in 2008.
Not only did she come away clutching the title, she did it in some style with her tally of 11 winners this season, including four doubles, equalling Brian Hughes’ record for a jockey at Cartmel.
The scale of her achievement is drawn into even sharper focus when you consider that the 11 winners she rode at Cartmel that year account for exactly 33% of her career total to date. It’s a huge uptick in form for an already prolific racer, and having ridden out her claim last summer, she is now a full-fledged professional jockey, and we cannot wait to see her bright future take shape.
With tickets now available for our 2025 races, why not come and see why Cartmel is so special for yourself?