Carlisle Racecourse Guide

While far from the biggest venue around, Carlisle Racecourse is one of the best regarded smaller tracks in the north west of England. Lying south of the city, it’s a venue surrounded by countryside and one offering some picturesque views.

With Flat and National Hunt racing on at Carlisle, it’s a place many go to see horses in competition but there are those more tempted by the top musical performances Carlisle regularly attracts. With action on the Flat as well as NH, fine scenery and great music too, Carlisle may not be a bucket list destination but it certainly offers something for everyone.

Map

The Course

The flat course at Carlisle is a galloping, pear-shaped one with right handed turns. Sprint races take place on a small chute near the final bend, making the track reasonably straight but for longer races they must take on the long sweeping bend before the home straight. In seven furlong races, having a prominent position around this turn is a notable advantage. In longer distance events, there is less jockeying for position by this point as the field often stretches out around a mile and three furlongs out.

There are a few things that the flat and the jumping courses have in common. Both have a rather sharp climb to the finish which does put a bit of emphasis on stamina here. Another shared feature is that, due to the wet weather Carlisle often receives, jockeys, particularly during jump racing, will switch to the stand side where the ground tends to be a little firmer.

Carlisle has three jumping tracks in total, all of which are a little more undulating than the flat track, one for steeplechases around the outside and the two on the inside for hurdles. Given the stiff nature of the course, it’s a track where many trainers give horses a worthwhile run out. It’s not really a test of jumping ability though. The fences are quite easy compared to others and there’s only a couple that ever catch runners out.

Major Races

Carlisle’s showpiece fixture comes in June and it’s the Carlisle Bell and Cumberland Plate day. The feature race on the day is the Carlisle Bell which boasts the oldest sporting trophy in the world having first been run in 1599. This historic race is accompanied by the Cumberland Plate, which is believed to have been running for over 175 years (a mere toddler of a race!) and the far younger Eternal Stakes which formerly was run at Warwick and Newmarket.

When it comes to jump racing then the Colin Parker Memorial Chase is the highlight of the National Hunt season at Carlisle. The two and a half mile affair regularly attracts some very talented names such as Grand National champion, Many Clouds, who won the race in 2014. Two years later and the race was very much of case of quality over quantity with just two horses, Seeyouatmidnight and Bristol De Mai competing for victory.

Visiting

History

Amazingly, racing in Carlisle dates back to the late 1500s and the Carlisle Bell, first run in 1599, is evidence of this. The race came with two bells as a prize, but the bells themselves went missing for some time before turning up in the town clerk’s office in the late 1800s. Today, replicas are handed out to the winner but the originals are brought to the racecourse on the day.

The Tote

Not only does Carlisle boast the oldest trophy in world sport but on 2nd July 1929, it made history by being the first racecourse to introduce the Tote. The betting pool system, still going strong today, did also make a debut appearance at the same time at Newmarket so it’s a record Carlisle must share.

The Grandstand

Originally, racing took place on the ‘Swifts’ near the modern Sands Centre but in 1904 the switch was made to Blackwell where the track remains today. Shortly after making the move, a new grandstand was erected and more than 100 years later it is still going strong, having been progressively upgraded since. In 2002 however, a state of the art Jubilee Grandstand was built and a year later it was announced that £2.5m would go towards redevelopment across the whole course.

Further Reading

More information on Carlisle Racecourse’s very lengthy past can be found in Ralph Greave’s book, ‘A Short History of Carlisle Racecourse’, if you are fortunate enough to find a copy. For those less interested in history and more in racing action, a trip to Carlisle will uncover a small but perfectly formed venue with a warm welcome and decent facilities.

You'll also find a commemorative bust of Sir Gordon Richards pictured above at Carlisle Racecourse who was a British racehorse trainer who specialised in National Hunt racing.