Racing at Cartmel began in the 12th Century when events were organised by monks at Cartmel Priory, making the Cumbrian racecourse a unique venue shrouded in tradition and historic relevance.

The national hunt racecourse is small but perfectly formed. Although one of Britain’s more compact sporting venues, the course enjoys the third-highest attendance numbers of any jumps track in the country! It’s not uncommon for 20,000 racegoers to attend the venue just to watch a single event.

While a location deeply associated with the iconic racing moments of yesteryear, Cartmel Racecourse now plays host to some of the most interesting meets on the current horse racing calendar. This includes the Cumbria Crystal Cup; a meet that takes place in mid-late July annually. The race is commonly referred to as the ‘Barbecue Meeting’ due to its social, lively atmosphere.

The Class 3 event, which is regarded as the venue’s feature race, is run over 2 miles and 6 furlongs. It also features 11 challenging hurdles, making it a true test of stamina and jumping ability for participating horses.

Having established itself as such a prestigious event, the race enjoys a hefty purse of £25,000+. This in turn sees some of the industry’s heavyweights enter.

Recent winners of the Cumbria Crystal Cup include Gordon Elliott’s Eshtiaal (2016), Altruism (2017), William Of Orange (2018), Mr Clarkson (2019) and Ask Paddington (2021).