CARTMEL will offer a record prize money pool of £525,000 over the nine days of racing at the picturesque Cumbrian course this summer – an average of over £8,300 per race.

The most valuable race of the season will be the £27,000 Totepool Cumbria Crystal Trophy Handicap Hurdle on Saturday July 22, a meeting which also features the £10,000 Banks Lyon Jewellers Lady Riders Handicap Hurdle.

And the richest day’s racing at Cartmel this year will be on August Bank Holiday Monday (August 28) when the £25,000 Coral Handicap Hurdle, the £20,000 Coral Cavendish Cup and the £20,000 Burlington Stone Handicap Chase take top billing.

Cartmel’s 2017 season gets underway with a three-day fixture over the Whit weekend, starting on Saturday, May 27 and continuing on Monday, May 29 and Wednesday, May 31.

Always a very relaxed affair, the highlight is Totepool Bank Holiday Fun-day on the Monday which features what is probably the biggest picnic in Britain, while on the track the top race is the £20,000 Oakmere Homes Handicap Hurdle and two Totepool-sponsored £10,000 handicap chases.

After the success of last year’s music event, Friday June 30 race meeting will be followed by a live performance by the great Sir Tom Jones, starting approximately 45 minutes after the last race.

There are special tickets for this meeting to cover both the racing and the concert at £45 for adults and £25 for teens aged 18 and under. Children aged 12 and under get in free. There is a strict limit on numbers and they are selling fast, so it would be unwise to wait until the day, as it may be sold out.

On all other racedays, admission to the Paddock Enclosure is £24 for adults, £20 for senior citizens and to the Course Enclosure £15 for adults and £13 for senior citizens. Children aged 17 and under are admitted free when accompanied by a responsible adult.

As always, there will be a Cartmel Sticky Toffee Pudding and a bottle of Louis Roederer Champagne for every winning owner, trainer and jockey at Cartmel this season.

Howard and Jean Johns of Cartmel Village Shop, who generously donate their world famous sticky toffee puddings, are also supporting the first race on the opening day of the season on May 27 and the final day on August 28.

This year also marks the 10th anniversary of the Cartmel Jockeys Challenge, which carries a prize of a weekend break at the Swan Hotel and Spa, Newby Bridge, while the trainers will be battling it out for the Andrea Robinson Memorial Trophy.