Race type - Jump
Cartmel
Course details
Set in the beautiful Lake District National Park, Cartmel takes its name from the nearby 12th century village and is laid out in the grounds of the Holker Estate, which is the home of Lord and Lady Cavendish. It's seldom used (just eight fixtures in 2012, all between June and August) but that adds to its charm and the crowds flock here with attendance figures in the region of 10,000 the norm.
GUIDE - For Racecourse
Left-handed, oval circuit of about 1m, half mile run-in from last
Set in the beautiful Lake District National Park, Cartmel takes its name from the nearby 12th century village and is laid out in the grounds of the Holker Estate, which is the home of Lord and Lady Cavendish. It's seldom used (just eight fixtures in 2012, all between June and August) but that adds to its charm and the crowds flock here with attendance figures in the region of 10,000 the norm. As a result, there's a real carnival atmosphere with the prime spot to pitch your gazebo and barbecue being close to the rail in the home straight, although the British weather usually does its best to spoil things. If you decide to make the trip, get there early to beat the traffic and be sure to sample the delicious locally-made sticky toffee pudding.
Principal Races
There's a charm about all the races here and the small number of meetings allows for decent prize money, with both the Cavendish Cup (a handicap chase) and Cartmel Cup (handicap hurdle) carrying purses in excess of £6k in 2011. Makers of the local delicacy can look forward to some advertising with the running of the Sticky Toffee Pudding Intermediate Handicap Chase!
Course Characteristics
The track's sharp bends and undulations provide a unique challenge for both jockeys and horses and that produces course specialists. The main circuit measures a mere mile in circumference and that means horses are continually on the turn, with those runners who like to be up with the pace holding a distinct advantage. Front runners can easily make all here, which is worth bearing in mind if betting in-running. The final two fences are located on the top turn, just before the horses disappear from view behind some trees, meaning the run-in is a full half mile and easily the longest in the country. The finishes take place down a separate chute which dissects the centre of the course and gives racegoers a close-up view of the action.
Top Trainers
The Cheshire-based Donald McCain nearly always has a runner here and he rarely leaves empty-handed as evidenced by his haul of 16 winners in the past five seasons, which have come from just 69 runners (23%). Better still is the 27% strike rate of Richard Ford and don't let a run of poor recent form put you off backing one of his as they are trained to peak here. Welsh wizards Peter Bowen and Evan Williams have big teams of summer jumpers and strike at the course often, while this is becoming a happy hunting ground for Scottish-based Harriet Graham, with five of her eight runners successful in the current season.
Top Jockeys
As you'd expect, it's McCain's stable jockey Jason Maguire that rides the most winners here and punters must love him as he's been scoring on half his rides in the current season. Champion jockey Tony McCoy only rides here when he knows he has a winning chance and he's a good judge too with a strike rate of around 33% since 2007. Brian Hughes and Ryan Mania are two others who know every twist and turn around here and get the job done more often than not.